Changing hate to love.

Like every person using the Internet, uninvited and unrequested e-mails are received.
Known as SPAM, it is a most annoying aspect of an otherwise fabulous mean of communication.
Using an Apple computer and its program MAIL, a filter stops much of the spam but nevertheless some slip through the defence system.

Unwanted and unrequested e-mails are received for the last couple of weeks from an organisation called “Discover America Partnership”.
Why they are send to this particular e-mail address is a complete mystery.

What is “Discover America Partnership”?
It is an organisation that wants the U.S. to welcome ten million more visitors annually.
On their website they explain how bad the image of the USA is abroad.
In most countries favourable opinions of the USA are well below 50 %.
“Discover America Partnership” does not of course explain what is the reason for this low percentage.
They focus only on the consequence of this low opinion foreigners have of the USA: it stops them from coming.

The solution “Discover America Partnership” has for the dwindling amount of tourists coming to the USA is acceptance and applying of “ The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 (S.1661 / H.R. 3232)”.
Remarkably enough no word of this solution can be found on the website of “Discover America Partnership”: it is mentioned in their e-mails only.
Where they ask the readers to contact their political representatives to pressure them accepting and implementing this “ The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 (S.1661 / H.R. 3232)”.


What is this “The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 (S.1661 / H.R. 3232)”?
According to “Discover America Partnership”:

“The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 (S.1661 / H.R. 3232 would establish a nationally coordinated travel promotion campaign paid for by a $10 fee on overseas travelers from visa waiver countries and matching funds provided by the U.S. travel industry. “

This is a fantastic idea!
Let’s get more tourists into the country by having them pay themselves for the promotion campaign.
Not paid for from the pockets of the US Citizens: the idiots from abroad will come to the USA based on publicity they paid for themselves.
Paying the 10 $ on top of the costs of the visa and by paying the services of the US travel industry.

This is going to be quite a promotion campaign.
In 2006 there were 48 million visitors to the USA.
“Discover America Partnership” wants 10 million more visitors annually.
This means that a budget for the promotion will be initially and potentially available of 580 million Dollars.
Slightly less than what the sport shoe maker NIKE is spending on publicity worldwide.

It is doubtfull though this publicity campaign will be very effective.
The potential foreign visitor reads in his newspaper how the USA continues to refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol and on the next page gets an invitation to tan on a Florida beach.
That is not going to work.

Another interesting approach of “Discover America Partnership” is their romance and concern with the poor image of the USA abroad.
They say:

“That’s why the Discover America Partnership is challenging our country to welcome 10 million more visitors each year. As each new visitor returns to their home country and shares their experiences with friends and family, we have the potential to reach and positively influence another billion people annually.”

An innocent person may think that “Discover America Partnership” is concerned about the poor opinion the billions of foreigners have of the USA.
And that this is why they have their campaign.

But when one makes the effort to research who is behind “Discover America Partnership”, a lot becomes clear.
Who is member of the “Leadership Committee”?
Among others:

• The President of the Intercontinental Hotels Group,
• The General Manager of the Super Shuttle Corp,
• The CEO of the National Restaurant Association,
• The CEO of the Travel Industry Association,
• The President of American Express.

All people representing companies, the 645 billion Dollars tourism industry, that would benefit enormously if more tourists would come to the USA.

However, “Discover America Partnership” public’s profile is only about how sad it is worldwide people have a low opinion of the USA and that this should be changed.
While the real reason for the existence of “Discover America Partnership” is:
we, the tourism industry, want to make more money. Because we are loosing on potential profit: while tourism worldwide was soaring in 2006 with 17 %, in the USA foreign tourism was down 9 %.

The most recent e-mail, or spam if you like, sent by “Discover America Partnership” was this one:


It says that a foreign tourist coming to the USA does not need to pay entry or exit fees.
We can all see that in the e-mail copied and published above.

As more experienced travellers and observers very well know, every foreign visitor to the USA has to pay an entry/exit fee.

Reason to send “Discover America Partnership” an e-mail:

"You are sending around incorrect information.
Foreign visitors DO pay entry fees when visiting the USA.
If they come by plane, it is within the price of their airplane ticket and the airline pays it to the USA.
If they come by land, they have to pay at the Immigration Office".

Within a short time a reply came:

"Thanks for your email Michel. The truth is that there are no entry or exit fees that the US collects that go towards any type of general fund or promotion campaign as in most other countries. In the UK, for instance, their fees go toward a new national environmental initiative within a general national fund. The fees you speak of to the US are completely given to the airport to handle customs, etc and not into a general fund and especially not to promote the country as a destination. America is not competing in this realm, yet we are funding other countries who are.

All the best,
Heather

Heather Epkins
Director of Communications
Discover America Partnership."

Reason to respond:

"Quote: The truth is that there are no entry or exit fees that the US collects that go towards any type of general fund or promotion campaign as in most other countries.

However, this "truth" is not in your e-mail publicity.
What you say is:
Most of these same nations charge U.S. visitors entry or exit fees. The United States charges no such fees.

This is simply not true.
The real and full truth is that the USA DOES collect entry and exit fees.
But this money is not specifically for tourism promotion.

Besides, it is doubtful that the countries you mention charging entry and exit fees spend that money or part of it specifically on tourist promotion.


The general rule is that people will decide to believe any message when based on 100 % truth.
Half-truths discredit the message and the messenger."

And as a good Director of Communications should, this reply came promptly:

"Michel,
Thanks again for your reply. I'm sorry our communication was not clearer for you. We tried to make our point focus on the lack of a US promotion campaign from the get-go.

So, thanks for your input. I will take that into condiseration in future communications.

All the best,
Heather"

The USA used to be very popular in Europe and elsewhere.
It is only in the last 10 years that this popularity has dropped dramatically.

We all know why: for the way the US Government is making politics worldwide.
Foreigners are not moody or trendy: they have very strong reasons based on the consequences of American policies to have a negative opinion about the USA.
This process is still going on.
For example, in Europe the popularity dropped even more after the USA revealed plans recently to install sophisticated weapon systems in Poland.
In the Middle East the popularity of the USA dropped recently for the intention of the American Government to create a huge army base in Azerbeidzjan.

An American citizen couldn’t care less about how popular his or her country is abroad.
But the owners of hotels, restaurants, taxis and credit card companies do.
They suffer of the drop of foreign visitors and would love to have the business of 10 million more tourists annually.
But to believe that a promotion campaign to boost tourism abroad will change the political opinion of those foreigners refusing to come is rather naive.

To have tourists come back to the USA a dramatic change in American policies is a requisite.
“Discover America Partnership” might be more successful reaching their goals by spending their money on the election campaign of Hillary Clinton.

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To learn more about "Discover America Partnership", click on:
www.poweroftravel.org/

The official campaign site of Hillary Clinton, click on:
www.hillaryclinton.com/





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