That's a pretty big number, alright, but it's still the projected dollar impact of easing tourist visa requirements for some countries, Brazil and China in particular. And it's a number that surely should inspire innkeepers to put those thinking caps on.
Who wants those dollars, besides innkeepers themselves? Retail.
Many of the regular readers of this humble blog are in rural areas, so the idea that retail will get a big boost may seem a bit of a stretch.
But for folks in the big shopping cities - NY, San Francisco, Chicago - it's not a stretch at all. It's something to get excited about.
Many, many tourists do shop til they drop on visits to the states. Even cities like Washington, DC and Atlanta witness the frenzied shopping of many of the travelers from abroad. If they're paying attention, that is.
What's smart about what the retailers are doing? They're already planning - and executing - advertising campaigns in Brazil and China. Very smart.
And how about you, dear readers? Not promoting your inn in Brazil, China, and other countries to be impacted by anticipated change in regulations?
Why not?
If you've ever traveled to another country yourself, you know the value of a personal connection to ease the cultural shock. No one does that better than innkeepers, especially innkeepers of small inns known for providing the personal touch.
850 Billion. Don't know if I quite believe that big number is real or not. But I do know that the dollars spent by tourists from those countries will be one very big number indeed.
Folks, don't let those dollars only go to the fat cats. The time for campaign planning is now.
