Recession impact evident in January, foreign visits to U.S. down

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Foreign visits to the United States are down 9 percent year-over-year for January 2009, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Spending by this group of visitors reached $10.6 billion – down 7 percent from January 2008. So, it looks like the people who spend less aren’t coming, since cash isn’t falling as fast as visitation. Slightly more than 3 million people visited the United States from abroad this year.

This confirms the worldwide effect of what was once called a “subprime mortgage crisis.” The global recession has led to a decline in consume rspending that includes travel.

Half the traffic came from our neighbors. Canada sent 1.1 million visitors to the United States, but this is down more than 12 percent year-over-year. Land arrivals fell 16 percent, with air arrivals dropping by only 8 percent. Mexico had 405,000 visitors to the United States in January. This is a decline of 4 percent. Air arrivals fell 16 percent, with land arrivals actually up 2 percent.

Excluding Canada and Mexico, U.S. arrivals totaled 1.5 million, a fall of 8 percent. Four of the top 20 countries (by number of travelers sent to the United States) showed increases, and two of them had double-digit year-over-year growth.

Brazil: up 5 percent (and showing 32 months of consecutive increases)

China: up 37 percent (and showing 35 months of consecutive increases)

Italy: up 6 percent (showing 25 months of consecutive increases)

Argentina: up 19 percent (and showing 30 months of consecutive increases)

U.S. visitation from the 27 countries in the European Union fell 11 percent overall for January 2009 (relative to January 2008), and travel from Western Europe was down 12 percent. Western Europe accounts for 37 percent of all overseas arrivals to the United States. Travel from Eastern Europe to the United States was up 5 percent. Travel from Asia to the United States, on the other hand, fell 9 percent year-over-year but nonetheless accounted for 31 percent of overseas arrivals to the United States. Travel from Japan fell 13 percent, with South Korea down 17 percent. Visits from India plunged 12 percent year-over-year.

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Record influx of visitors to U.S. in 2008

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Last year, 58 million international visitors came to the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That’s an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2007. To sweeten it up a bit, 13 of the top 25 arrivals markets saw new records set. In the last month of the year, nearly 4 million people came here from abroad – down 7 percent. The fourth quarter was down 6 percent year-over-year.

So, we saw most of the action in the first nine months of 2008.

The first three quarters were grand, last year. Seventeen of the top 20 arrivals markets were up from 2007, with one flat and two down. Visitors from Canada were growing at a double-digit rate, though trips from Mexico were down. The rest of the world was up 9 percent for the first nine months of 2008, relative to the same period in 2007.

It all changed at the beginning of October, though. Only 12 of the top 20 countries sent more visitors than in the first quarter of 2007. Canada and Mexico were down, and visits from the rest of the world dropped by 3 percent. You can check the arrival stats monthly by clicking here.
Canada sent 18.9 million people to the United States last year, most of them by land. But, air arrivals grew at a faster rate – 8 percent compared to 6 percent. Another 13.8 million people visited the United States from Mexico. The total is down 4 percent from 2007, with air arrivals down 9 percent.

A total of 25.3 million people visited from the rest of the world – i.e., countries other than Canada and Mexico. While this is up 6 percent from 2007, it’s still 2 percent below the record set in 2000. Since 2003, the number of guests arriving from overseas is up 33 percent.

Western Europe shows no signs of slowing down. Last year, that part of the world brought 12.2 million tourists to the United States, a 12 percent gain year-over-year. This group comprised 48 percent of all overseas arrivals. But, they slowed down in December (by 3 percent). France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark and Norway set arrival records.

  • Germany: 17 percent
  • France: 25 percent
  • Italy: 23 percent
  • Netherlands: 20 percent
  • Spain: 27 percent
  • Ireland: 8 percent
  • Sweden: 18 percent
  • Switzerland: 15 percent

No records were set in the United Kingdom. Visitors from the country to which we once belonged were up 1 percent for the year but down 14 percent in December. Thirty-seven percent of Western European arrivals come here from the United Kingdom.

And, there’s a hell of a lot more of this available, thanks to the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.

Check out some of these wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!

10 more stupid laws

by Annie Scott on

After finding so many outrageously stupid yet entertaining laws yesterday for my top 10 stupidest laws you may encounter abroad, I decided it would be foolish – no, negligent not to continue.

Here are ten more very stupid laws from countries all over the world:

  1. Singapore – If you are convicted of littering three times, you will have to clean the streets on Sundays with a bib on saying, “I am a litterer.”
  2. Sweden – You may only own half a meter down in the ground of any land you own.
  3. U.K. – Since 1313, MPs are not allowed to don armor in Parliament.
  4. England – All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.
  5. Cambodia – Water guns may not be used in New Year’s celebrations.
  6. Australia – It is illegal to wear hot pink pants after midday Sunday.
  7. Denmark – One may not be charged for food at an inn unless that person, by his or her own opinion, is “full”.
  8. France – No pig may be addressed as Napoleon by its owner.
  9. Israel – It is forbidden to bring bears to the beach.
  10. Bahrain – A male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals, but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.

References:
LawGuru.com
FunFacts.com.au
DumbLaws.com

Top 10 stupidest laws you may encounter abroad

by Annie Scott on

We’ve all heard about the ridiculous, archaic laws of the United States, stuff about shooting bison from trains and grazing your cows on Boston Common and so forth. But it’s imperative to be aware of completely useless laws in other parts of the world, in case you should happen to travel there and find yourself in a really, really unlikely situation.

Here they are, the top 10 stupidest laws you may encounter abroad:

  1. Australia – It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
  2. France – Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
  3. Thailand – It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
  4. Italy – It is an offence for women of ‘ill repute or evil looks’ to enter a cheese factory in the area of Ferrara.
  5. Scotland – It is illegal to be a drunk while in possession of a cow.
  6. France – It is illegal in Antibes to take photos of police officers or police vehicles, even if they are just in the background. (I hope the photo at right isn’t from Antibes!)
  7. Lebanon – Men are legally allowed to have sex with animals so long as the animals are female. It is illegal to have sex with a male animal.
  8. China – Women are prohibited from walking around a hotel room in the nude. A woman may only be naked whilst in the bathroom.
  9. Hong Kong – A woman is legally allowed to kill her cheating husband, only if she uses her bare hands. The husband’s lover however may be killed in any manner desired.
  10. Switzerland – A man may not relieve himself while standing up, after 10 P.M.

BONUS: In parts of Tuscany, it’s illegal to put something into a minibar.
BONUS 2: We’ve got 10 more stupid laws.


Laws got these women in trouble. What’d they do wrong?

References:
LawGuru.com
FunFacts.com.au
DumbLaws.com

How to get your piece of a $336 million settlement if you’ve used an American credit card abroad

by Neil Woodburn on

If you’re an American and have used your MasterCard, Visa or Diners Club card to make purchases in a foreign country, you’ve probably just received in the mail the same thing I did a few days ago: a settlement letter from the US District Court.

It turns out that American credit card companies collectively decided upon a “Foreign Transaction” fee of 1-3% for every purchase made in another country. According to a recent class action lawsuit, this is in violation of antitrust laws. But that’s not all. The credit companies then decided to bury the fee by not disclosing it on billing statements. Very bad!

When furious cardholders finally discovered this, they fought back and won a $336 million settlement. What does this mean to you? If you’ve traveled abroad and used your credit card between February 1, 1996 to November 8, 2006, that makes you eligible for part of the settlement.

Card holders can choose between three options:

1. Easy Refund: a quick $25 in your pocket regardless of what you spent.
2. Total Estimation Refund: This is 1% of your estimated foreign transactions providing you spent a minimum of $2,500 aboard
3. Annual Estimated Refund: This is only available if you’ve had “extensive foreign travel or foreign transactions” and are willing to provide “year-by-year information.” Refunds will range from 1-3%.

This won’t stop the fees in the future, however. They will still exist, and be called out on your statement. One option to avoid this, however, is to opt for the Capital One card which doesn’t charge such fees and, as a result, the company is breathing a heavy sigh of relief for not being included in the $336 million settlement.

Related: Hidden Credit Card Charges