CLOSING THE COASTAL GAP


When considering visiting the United States, we asked our respondents the open-ended question of what places, attractions, activities, or events were they interested in visiting. “Disney” was top of mind for 27% of them, followed by New York City (19%) and Las Vegas (12%). We then gave our overseas friends a list of 54 attractions and asked them which ones would be most likely to inspire a trip to America. Tose that topped the list were dominated by massive entertainment icons and landmark wonders, such as Disney World, Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, New York City Icons, and Niagara Falls.


30 OF THE


54 DESTINATIONS were selected


by 3% or fewer of our respondents as places likely to inspire a US visit.


We followed up with our respondents who had taken a recent trip to America, and asked them where they had traveled. A similar pattern evolved to those considering traveling to the States – once people hit their point of entry, they tend not to go much further. Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Anaheim all topped the list, universally recognized as concentrated hubs of attractions and environments catering to tourists. What do all these top-visited or top-intended destinations have in common?


They’re not far from the coast.


Tis trend is absolutely not unique to the States, and is actually rather easily explained. Tese coastal and border towns developed over centuries as ports of entry, and therefore have centuries of architectural and historic attractions, complemented by mature and robust tourism industries able to support large flows of visitors.


Te challenge for many tourism practitioners in America, therefore, is how to pull these visitors deeper into the heart of the country. Since the


majority of these heartland destinations rank rather low on the motivation and experienced list for these travelers, the key is to intertwine them as essential, do-not-miss opportunities with the nearest, major, coastal port of entry and interest. Tis may involve collaboration with major attractions in these regions, offering discounts for international visitors, short-distance travel cooperation, and emphasizing some of the top priorities/interests of international travelers in global and port-of-entry marketing efforts.


65% of international guests find “authentically American” experiences alluring; and no matter where a destination is, it can certainly promote and provide the food and leisure experiences these travelers are seeking.


TOP 10


Places Most Likely to Inspire a Visit Walt Disney World | Orlando FL


36% 26% 24% 21% 21% 20% 19% 19% 16% 14%


36% 26% 24% 21% 21% 20% 19% 19% 16% 14%


Disneyland | Anaheim CA The Grand Canyon | Arizona


Statue of Liberty


New York City | New York Niagara Falls | New York Las Vegas | Nevada


Universal Studios Hollywood Sites Northern Lights | Orlando FL | California | Alaska | New York


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