10 Ways to Restore America’s Overseas Image
9. America Must Open Up to International Tourism
While ads for American products like the iPhone or Coca-Cola are a staple of advertising abroad, rarely is the U.S. itself the product on display. But if there were ever a time when America needed to make a sales pitch for itself abroad, this is it. In Europe, as a result of the NSA spying scandal, trust in the U.S. government has fallen from 76 percent in 2009 to 35 percent today. The trend is in keeping with eroding pro-American sentiment elsewhere in the world.
After 9/11, America secured its borders, but made the country unwelcoming. People abroad saw the U.S. as a boring and hostile country. America’s share of global international travel dipped 30 percent in the first decade of the new century—this despite an otherwise growing global tourist sector. The ramifications for the economy were clear. International tourism is the number one services export that we have. And yet, until today, America is the only developed country that lacks an international tourism campaign.
