Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The evolving ethnic composition of the North American population is changing the choice and
travel behavior of tourists. In the United States, one in three Americans belonged to an ethnic
minority in 2010. At present, non-Hispanic whites comprise 67 percent of America's population,
but this is a shrinking share. In 2030 and 2050, blacks will comprise a steady 13 percent of the U. S.
population. Asians will grow to 6.3 percent in 2030 and to 7.8 percent in 2050. Hispanics (now
16 percent) will grow to 23 percent of the total population by 2030 and to 30.2 percent by 2050.
Thus, by 2050 the ethnic population will total over 51 percent and the non-Hispanic white
population will become a minority (48 percent) by 2050. 26
&
The Long-Predicted ''Chinese Elephant'' Is Becoming
a Tourism Reality
Chinese government travel restrictions on its population are continuing to be relaxed to the point
where China is on its way to becoming one of the world
is most powerful outbound tourism nations.
According to the UNWTO, China is the fastest-growing outbound market in the world, and by 2020 it
is expected that 100 million Chinese will make outbound leisure trips annually. This growth has
resulted in tour groups from China quickly becoming a normal sight at the world
'
s tourism
destinations. Chinese visitors are important economically as they spend more than tourists from
other Asia-Paci c countries.
China has an
'
by
the Chinese government. Approved destination status is a bilateral agreement on tourism that greatly
facilitates Chinese to travel to a destination. China currently has ADS agreements with 112 countries
and additional agreements continue to be made. On December 11, 2007, the U.S. Commerce Secretary
and the China National Tourism Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding giving the
United States ADS, while Canada did not receive approval until December 3, 2009.
Although there is growing evidence that China may soon become the world
approved destination status
(ADS) system where destinations are
''
sanctioned
''
is leading economic
power, several factors might affect its ranking. First, India shows signs of overtaking its powerful
neighbor economically, largely because of its democratic free enterprise philosophy. Internally, China
'
s
one-child policy introduced in 1979, one of the most important social policies ever implemented, has
led to a gender imbalance in the population, given a strong preference for male over female
offspring. 27 This policy has led to positive results in the immediate term; however, it is also predicted
to have negative implications over the longer term.
'
Diversity within a Homogeneous World
Despite the fact that the popularity of Coca-Cola and McDonald
'
s contributes to the trend to
''
around the world, there are strong counterpressures to maintain individual and cultural
distinctiveness. A visit to anymajor city in theworld demonstrates how information, economic pressures,
and the tendency to imitate has left the world
sameness
''
than it was a century, or even decades, ago.
It seems, however, that the human entity, while recognizing the pragmatic value of sameness, is
determined at the same time to make every effort to preserve and enhance unique identity. Whether or
not the culture that spawned the Bolshoi Ballet is threatened by the arrival of McDonald
''
less different
''
s restaurants
remains to be seen. However, if the determination of those who are facing this issue is any indication, the
existence of cultural diversity within a global society is a reality whose time has come.
'
The Quest for Stability and Security
After literally decades of economic growth and relative stability, many highly successful and valued
persons are suddenly facing the impacts of the current economic recession and the prospect of
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