Posts Tagged ‘valentine’

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Valentine’s Day “Suites” Support U.S. Exports

February 14, 2014

Amy Wasserbach is an intern in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs. She majored in International Studies at Colorado State University.

During the Valentine’s season, people all around the world take time out of their daily routine to show affection toward each other.

We embody this special occasion through exchanging gifts, sharing a meal, or making cards, but what better way to spend the holiday than a romantic get-away with your “suite-y”?

From the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the tropical beaches of Hawaii, America has many romantic vacation spots to offer foreign visitors. More and more people around the world are taking the opportunity to share a romantic sunset or a candlelight toast in the United States. The United States hosted 4.4 million international visitors in February 2013, six percent more than the same month in 2012.

Travel and tourism exports totaled $180.7 billion in 2013, an increase of more than 9 percent when compared to 2012. This makes the United States number one globally for world travel receipts and second in international visitors.

Tourism and travel are a vital part of the US economy, making up 26 percent of service exports in 2013. The travel and tourism industry is a combination of sectors (e.g., traveler accommodations, food and beverage establishments, air transportation, etc.) that collectively supported nearly eight million American jobs last year. More than one million of those jobs were supported by international visitors alone.

Historically the largest numbers of international visitors enjoying a vacation in America came from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom in. In 2014, the number of international visitors is expected to reach 71.8 million. Your travel and tourism business could benefit from this consistently growing industry through international exports!

ITA’s National Travel and Tourism Office can help guide U.S. Travel and Tourism industry businesses to connections with their perfect international market match. Let ITA help your  travel and tourism business to sweep America’s future Valentine visitors off their feet!

Posted in Service Industries, Travel and Tourism | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Valentine’s Day “Suites” Support U.S. Exports

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Showing Exports the Love on Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2013

Andrea DaSilva is the Senior Media & Entertainment Analyst for the International Trade Administration (ITA). Chris Higginbotham is a Communication Specialist with ITA’s Office of Public Affairs. What are you doing with your Valentine today? Maybe a movie? Dancing the night away? Or you could be reading poetry to one another… Maybe you don’t have a Valentine but you’re doing one of those things anyway. Either way, you’re supporting creative industries that provide the United States with some of its most unique—and sometimes romantic— exports! Exports in filmed entertainment, which includes movies and television content distributed abroad, reached $14.3 billion in 2011. That includes everything from romantic comedies to game shows, war movies to animated features. This was an increase of almost $700 million from 2010 numbers. Exports in books, records and tapes achieved $1.3 billion. This category includes everything from easy listening to jazz and metal (romantic or otherwise), romantic novels to cookbooks. All of these categories include media or entertainment content that is streamed online or digitally downloaded for a fee to protect the intellectual property and copyrights of the owners and creators. The International Trade Administration (ITA) works closely with professionals in these industries to promote exports and create jobs. We’re supporting both the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) with Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards. These are competitive financial assistance awards ITA provides to industry groups pursuing projects that will help U.S. firms export and create jobs. Whether you’re picking up the tab for your Valentine, going dutch or flying solo, don’t be a cheapskate! Make sure to show love to your date and the creative professionals in these industries by avoiding pirated content or illegal file sharing. Nothing kills the romance more quickly than a computer virus you inadvertently downloaded while stealing music from an illegal site, or if you are an artist, writer, or musician – having your works shared without getting paid. We hope you enjoy whatever entertainment you’re seeking for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion. And remember, there really is no such thing as free except for sharing romance with a loved one!

Posted in Service Industries | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Showing Exports the Love on Valentine’s Day