Discovering America

In a practical exercise of people-to-people diplomacy, 13 foreign envoys and their families recently took a 5,000-mile, expense-paid trailer trip across the U.S. Organized by nonprofit Travel Program for Foreign Diplomats Inc., the tour's aim was to let the visitors "get to know us, our land, our people and our institutions."

A record number of foreign visitors are, in fact, discovering America--and they are spending more than half a billion dollars of valuable exchange while enjoying the scenery. In the first eight months of 1967, there was a 28.7% increase over 1966 as 973,578 business and pleasure visitors arrived from overseas. In August, 191,494 travelers arrived in the U.S., a 50.2% jump over the same month last year. Impressive percentage increases in tourists during the eight months were shown by Finland (94.2%), France (89.4%), Ecuador (67.3%) and Japan (53.3%).

Credited for at least part of the influx is Expo 67, a well-publicized reason for visiting the New World. Beyond that, the growing affluence of people in industralized nations has been accompanied by an itch to see where most of the money comes from.

After questioning some tourists in 1966, the U.S. Travel Service, an agency of the Commerce Department, found that "the U.S.A. is viewed less in terms of a vacation land than as a civilization to be observed and studied." The U.S.T.S. has therefore geared its tourist program to a personalized approach, offering the foreign tourists such things as visits with American families and advice about local customs. Sample: "If you would like your shoes shined, stop by the barbershop or phone Valet Service. Do not leave them outside your hotel-room door."

Plugging Fun City. Business and cities have also joined the promotion campaign, putting the stress on low-cost travel. Continental Trailways and Greyhound advertise 99 days of unlimited travel for only $99, while 14 airlines sell touring fares to attract foreigners. TWA and Pan Am are forever squiring travel editors across the oceans, and a recent group was wined, dined and toured through Chicago. Most wrote glowing reports for their home papers. Meanwhile, New York City, through which flows 80% of the nation's foreign visitors, sent Summer Festival Queen Nancy Davison overseas for six weeks with the express purpose of plugging free and inexpensive happenings in Fun City.

Everyone is happy about the increased number of foreign tourists, particularly the U.S. Government. The other side of the coin is not viewed with such pleasure in Washington. More and more U.S. vacationers have been fleeing the country and taking their dollars to foreign lands. As a result the U.S. travel deficit, which increased by $31 million in 1966 to $1.64 billion, is expected this year to hit $1.8 billion or more.

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