Canadians still visit the United States way more than any other foreign country around the world.
Last week I wrote about how America was voted the “most liked” country in the world. So with so much love for the U.S. going around, one question must be asked. Has the world’s crush on Uncle Sam helped with the country’s tourism? In a word…kinda.
Year after year when the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of Travel & Tourism (OTTI) releases their data of which countries have visited America the most, two destinations continuously top the list – #1 Canada and #2 Mexico. That really should not come as a surprise since both countries sandwich the U.S. and are more easily accessible than any other locations on the planet.
So who else is checking out the streets of New York, the Hollywood hills, and all points in between? Well coming in at #3 is the United Kingdom. Even with a decline of 16.9% in tourism through July 2009, the U.K. is still the most popular visitors from overseas.
Another country that visits often is #4 Japan, which also saw a major decline of 17.6% for year-to-year tourism traffic. Coming in at #5 was Germany, and yes just like the rest of the countries listed, Deutschland saw a 7.5% drop in tourists between July 2008 and 2009.
Now if you are wondering why so many people have halted hauling themselves to the U.S., it is quite simple – the economy. Due to a worldwide economic meltdown over the last year and a half, international tourism is down across the board sharply. Just like many Americans have skipped taking worldwide jaunts in favor of more domestic trips, so has the rest of the world apparently.
To help remedy the continuous decline of foreign visitors, Congress is considering a Travel Promotion Act. In it, anyone that shows up to the United States must pay an additional $10 fee. The money collected would be used to start a travel campaign in various countries around the world to boost interest in visiting the United States.
Currently the Commerce Department is not funding any ad campaigns to promote travel to the States. Yes you read that correctly…no marketing at all! The last time the U.S. was promoted was back in 2007, and even then it only received a measly $4-$9 million dollars. What a joke.
On a positive note, with the economy getting slightly…and I stress slightly better, tourism has picked up a bit and that is always a good thing for any country. Below is a list of the top 20 countries that visited the United States between January and July 2009, the amount of visitors, and how much tourism has decreased from the same time the previous year.
Canada (10, 108, 302 visitors) – 9% decline
Mexico (3,308,779) – 9.9% decline
United Kingdom (2,149,149) – 16.9% decline
Japan (1,564,441) – 17.6% decline
Germany (921,874) – 7.5% decline
France (694,340) – 1.1% decline
Brazil (469, 985) – a slight increase
South Korea (415,509) – 12% decline
Italy (379, 641) – 4% decline
Australia (376, 614) – 2.7% decline
The remaining 11-20 include: India, People’s Republic of China, Netherlands, Spain, Venezuela, Ireland, Colombia, Argentina, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Today is “09-09-09″, and while that may be catchy enough, it has also been dubbed “Beatles Day.” The reason behind the nickname is because the Fab Four’s entire music catalog is being re-released starting today in proper CD digital format. So that means you can get a hold of all the legendary British band’s popular hits ranging from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Yesterday” and all songs in between in crystal clear quality.
In honor of The Beatles, which just so happens to be one of my favorite bands, I thought I would showcase some of the more infamous destinations that John, Paul, George, and Ringo frequented when they were rocking around the world. Groovy.
The Beatles made the Cavern Club famous, playing nearly 300 shows between February 1961 and August 1963 in the cellar club on tiny Mathew Street in downtown Liverpool. The original Cavern Club closed in 1973 and unfortunately demolished. However, a reconstructed Cavern Club opened a decade later, built to the specifications of the original and occupying part of the original site. It is now a major tourist attraction and still a venue for local bands.
Liverpool, England: Well duh. Of course any list of Beatles destinations would have to start with where the band got started. This English town is still crazy for their most popular residents 40 plus years after they formed. All members of the Beatles grew up in Liverpool, and if you visit that is a fact you will soon realize.
Almost all of the streets, pubs, and churches have Beatles references next to them. Every July they celebrate “Beatles Day” and just one month later the the party continues with August’s “International Beatles week.”
Help! I need somebody…to snap a quick pic of me walking across the street.
London, England: Our next stop on The Beatles world tour is just 200 or so miles away from Liverpool. London is easily the most popular city in all of England and where The Beatles recorded most of their work. One street in particular has been a “must cross” destination for Beatles fanatics for centuries.
Abbey Road Crossing, which is where Abbey Road studios is located, was used on the cover of the last Beatles album. Since that time visitors have imitated the infamous pose, causing the ultimate photo op and traffic nightmare in the process. Many locals driving down the street must be careful as to not hit faux Beatles as they strut across the road.
Some famous faces like The Simpsons and Red Hot Chili Peppers have paid honor to the band with their own version of the album cover. Abbey Road studio is still popular to this day for producing music from the likes of Pink Floyd and Radiohead, as well as scores for such blockbuster movies as Lord of the Rings and Batman.
The St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, part of the Hamburg Harbour, in Hamburg, Germany.
Hamburg, Germany: The Fab Five (Pete Best was the infamous fifth member of the band in the early days before being fired by the original four because they simply did not like him) honed their skills at many clubs in the early 1960s in the city of Hamburg. Hot spots like the Top Ten Club were buzzing with Beatlemania until they were booted from Germany after it was found out that George was hanging out at clubs underage. Today the city of Hamburg is home to nearly 2 million residents and is sixth-largest city in the European Union. Hamburg is also known for being a major port city and transportation hub in Germany.
Room #702 of the Amsterdam Hilton was the locale of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s peaceful honeymoon.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: After tying the knot, John Lennon and Yoko Ono honeymooned in this popular European city. If you listen to the lyrics of “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” Mr. Imagine even mentions the lodge where he stayed (Amsterdam Hilton) with his new wife for a week to “get him some peace.” Their stay was peaceful – but in a different way. Both used their fame to garner some media attention to promote peace in the world. It worked as several reporters showed up to interview to duo.
The suite at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Loving the attention that their “Bed-In For Peace” received in Europe, John Lennon and Yoko decided to perform the same stunt in the United States. However, the government did not allow Lennon to enter due to a previous drug conviction. Some believe that President Richard Nixon had a personal vendetta against the rocker due to his extremely liberal views and used the issue to bar Lennon from entering.
So “Plan B” was to head up north to Canada, Montreal in particular, where he was welcomed with open arms. It was on June 1, 1969 in suite #1742 of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth that “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded by the Beatle. Lennon did not sing the tune alone, as Yoko and the media joined him in an impromptu jam session.
Washington, DC: Just two days after arriving in the United States and performing on the Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert to thousands of screeching fans at the Washington Coliseum. The date was February 11, 1964 and the show easily sold out.
The venue still stands today, however it is used as an indoor parking garage. The ticket price to see the Fab Four for this historic show? Four dollars! That is far less than the convenience fees we see added to today’s concerts.
The Beatles take the stage for the last time in front of an audience at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.
San Francisco, CA: It was here that The Beatles performed their final full concert at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Although the concert was not professionally recorded and it was decades before the “YouTube Generation,” some of the show was actually captured on film by a 15-year old fan in the audience and was even featured in a documentary entitled “The Unseen Beatles.”
Rishikesh, India is widely known for its beautiful landscape and being the place where yoga was invented. It was also here that The Beatles escaped stardom and found some inner-peace.
Rishikesh, India: After being burned out by touring and the entire life that comes along with fame, The Beatles headed to the city of Rishikesh,India for eight weeks in 1968. Known as the birthplace of yoga, all four men spent a week at a Transcendental Meditation course followed by spending time with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his ashram in the Himalayas. It was here that the Fab Four not only found their “inner peace,” but wrote the lyrics to many songs that would appear on the extremely popular White Album.
Strawberry Fields Forever
New York, New York: After performing a spur of the moment gig high above London on top of the Apple Corps building, the Fab Four would soon split up. For years fans hoped that John, Paul, George, and Ringo would reconcile and tour again. Sadly that was never to be. On the night of December 8, 1980 John Lennon was shot to death by Mark David Chapman right outside of The Dakota in New York City.
For days thousands of fans mourned outside of The Dakota and sang Beatles tunes in unison. Yoko Ono requested that the mourners move away from the building as it was keeping her and son Sean awake at night. They reconvened across the street in Central Park.
The 2.5 acre piece of land named “Strawberry Fields” has become a memorial not only for the legendary Lennon, but it also drew a candlelight vigil days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and was a place to mourn the passing of rock stars like Jerry Garcia and The Beatles’ George Harrison.
2-for-1 sale going on right now with OpenSkies and their amazing biz bed.
Close to qualifying for a free trip on your favorite airline with your miles? Well for members of JetBlue and American Airlines miles programs, you might be closer than you think. The two companies are giving away bonus miles when you purchase some extra miles through them. Here are two such sales:
Between now and Wednesday May 13, when you purchase “TrueBlue” points from JetBlue.com, you will receive 10% extra at the checkout. This can be a big help for people that are so close to jetting with their points, yet need a few extra points to qualify for “free” travel. Visit JetBlue.com for more information. You must be a registered TrueBlue member to purchase and use your points (don’t worry…it’s easy to sign up and absolutely free).
Another generous offer, which is available through American Airlines, will give customers an extra 30% more miles with each order they place at AA.com. For example, when you purchase 5,000 AAdvantage miles, you will get a bonus 1,500 miles absolutely free! This offer ends June 30th and more information can be found at American Airline’s official website.
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Earning bonus miles is nice, but getting a sweet deal on airfare in general is always great. So how about a jaunt to Europe in first class for half off? Yeah that would qualify as a great deal! Because now through May 31, when you purchase a first class or business class seat on OpenSkies, you will receive a companion fare absolutely free.
So if you can finagle a friend into packing a bag and heading off to either Paris or Amsterdam from New York City (yeah tough sell), then you two of you could enjoy a stylish trip at a fraction of the usual price. OpenSkies is providing the 180 degree flat bed on this flight, with a price tag of $3,900 round-trip (NYC-Paris) and $3,400 round-trip (NYC-Amsterdam). A year ago a round-trip ticket would easily cost double…for one person! Now you and a partner can fly back and forth in stlye for about $1,000 each one-way. For more information on this insane offer, check out OpenSkies official website.
The Google "Street View" cars resting after a day of picture taking.
Since its debut nearly two years ago, Google Street View has been both highly praised and loudly damned. The fans of the nosy website love how they can easily jaunt around the globe with a simple click of the mouse. However, the naysayers see it as a major privacy issue. Whatever your feelings might be on the site, it surely has changed the way in which people travel. I mean you can check out a locale you are planning to visit and stroll down its streets. Want to find that restaurant you heard of? Google it! Need to see what your hotel’s surrounding area looks like? Google it! It really has become a tool that I use pretty much on a daily basis to check out places I need to visit.
I am a big fan of the website and love that they recently expanded their street access to many parts of Europe, including cities like Madrid, Naples, Amsterdam, Paris, Belfast and London! Plus at this point Google has covered pretty much all of the United States. It seems like only yesterday that I was only able to scroll down a street in San Francisco and New York.
Now as mentioned earlier, with Google roaming streets around the world, there was bound to be a few “caught in the act” moments. The most popular one would have to be the drunken teen that passed out on his parents lawn in Australia (pictured below). The incident sent shock waves through the web and across Aussie media and eventually the street image was replaced with a black screen. Below are a few more Google Street Views that probably wont be around too much longer, some have probably been removed already, that snap shots of normal everyday people, like you and I, going about there business. Unfortunately some of it is pretty hilarious…enjoy.
One too many.
Google car snaps a shot of another Google car in Coventry, England
Lonely man wandering into sex shop in Amsterdam.
Where's Waldo? Apparently on the streets of London.
Google finds itself in the middle of an impromptu French goat race
Ooh! La-La! French kiss cam.
A good old fashioned Pittsburgh sword fight.
Put 'em up. Apparently this was just a toy gun, as two kids "play" in Chicago.
Ah the red light district in the Netherlands...interesting to say the least.
What? After a day of snooping, even the Google Street View team needs some nourishment.
