34 March 2018 • FOGHORN NEWSWIRE WINDOWS DOORS HATCHES CEILING & WALL PANELS ACOUSTIC FIRE RATED WEATHERTIGHT WATERTIGHT WOOD & METAL HONEYCOMB VINYL & RESIN FLOORS MARINE FLOORING SYSTEMS CABIN & GALLEY FURNITURE Pointing to Perfection Director: Steve Hadik (207) 841-5083 shadik@psmaritime.com | www.psmaritime.com In January, the U.S. Travel Association reported that spending by international visitors was down in 2017 according to data supplied by the U.S. Department of Commerce. International travelers to the U.S. spent 3.3 percent less through November of 2017 than at the same point the previous year, according to the November International Trade report released by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. The 3.3 percent spending drop translates to losses of $4.6 billion spent in the U.S. economy and 40,000 jobs. Travel had outperformed overall U.S. export growth during the prior five years; the industry generated an $87 billion trade surplus in 2016, without which the U.S. trade deficit that year would have been 17 percent higher. Travel is a Top 10 employer in 49 states and the District of Columbia, supporting 15.3 million un-exportable American jobs, making international travel the country’s top service export. The trend shown in the Commerce Department’s report bodes poorly for U.S. performance in trade and job creation. “For our country to have any hope of closing the trade gap, international inbound travel must perform, simple as that,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “ The Commerce Department’s recent report continues a data trend for the travel industry. A new initiative, Visit U.S. Coalition, brings together a broad cross-section of industries whose goal is to partner with the Trump Administration to address the decline in international visitation. “Visit U.S. is committed to helping make the U.S. both the most-secure and most-visited country in the world,” Dow explained about the new initia- tive. “The U.S. economy is on the upswing, but we can grow even more by encouraging more travel to America,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue. “Travel creates jobs and economic activity across a swath of in- dustries and sectors as people visit the U.S. and spend their time and money with American businesses.” Because so many PVA operators benefit from international guests, PVA cooperates with the Visit U.S. Coalition. n Spending by International Visitors Sharply Down in 2017; Visit U.S. Coalition Aims to Increase International Travel