中国游客拯救美国旅游业

    但世界旅游组织（World Tourism Organization）称，自2000年以来，美国在全球旅游消费中的占比却有所下降，由17.5%降至11.2%。美国可能会吸引更多来自中国的游客，但它所占中国游客旅游支出的份额却很小，2011年为730亿美元。2011年，更多中国游客的首选目的地是世界领先的旅游胜地法国。许多外国人认为美国不好客，理由是它的安保措施太严苛。大迈阿密旅游会展局（Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau）负责人比尔•塔尔伯特说：“不能邀请别人之后还要让别人等两个小时才能进门。”

    除此之外，美国企业也迟迟没有主动把握这一现象背后的机遇。波士顿咨询公司（Boston Consulting Group）董事总经理吕晃说：“美国企业缺乏足够的先见之明去打造贴合新兴游客群体需求的基础设施和产品。”欧洲早就认识到中国游客带来的好处，当地连锁酒店与豪华品牌的大部分销售额均来自海外游客。但美国企业才刚刚开始把握这一机会。吕晃在最近发布的一份报告中写道：“到目前为止，这个市场的美国企业中还没有一个明显的赢家。但空窗期不会一直持续下去。”

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    And yet America's share of global tourism spending has declined since 2000, from 17.5% to 11.2%, according to the World Tourism Organization. The U.S. may be luring more visitors from China, but it takes in just a sliver of that country's tourist expenditures, which hit $73 billion in 2011. More Chinese tourists preferred France, the world's leading destination, that year. Many foreigners view the U.S. as unwelcoming, citing its stringent security measures. "Don't invite people here and then make them wait two hours to get in," says Bill Talbert, the head of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

    Beyond that, U.S. businesses have been slow to embrace the phenomenon. "There hasn't been enough foresight to tailor infrastructure and products to emerging tourists," says Vincent Lui, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group. While the benefits of Chinese tourism have long been understood in Europe, where hotel chains and luxury brands derive most of their sales from overseas travelers, U.S. companies are only beginning to grasp the opportunity. "So far there are no clear winners among the companies that have already entered the market," Lui wrote in a recent report. "But that window won't remain open forever."