WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE!

Winter is over soon and it wasn’t too cold so far, it wasn’t much of an inconvenience. There was no snow in New York City in January (the first time since 1932). The reason may have been the hot, hot club scene in Manhattan. Why don’t you include a few hours of fun at a club at the end of your next planned congress.

It snowed plenty in the Rocky Mountains and skiing was and is wonderful in meters of fresh snow.

Add a few days of skiing, in one of the Rockies world class resorts, to your meeting in the USA or Canada. Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride, Jackson Hole, Whistler, Banff or others are the top choices. Skiing is good past Easter!

We are looking forward to the “Cherry Blossom Festival” in Washington DC, beginning in April 2008.The vista of the breathtaking beauty of the hundreds of flowering cherry trees is worth a detour to our capital after your event on the East Coast.

Arizona proved again to be the center of auctions of classic motor cars. The number of cars sold is staggering and the amount of money paid for them is astronomical. Include these incredible shows and spectacles as part of your incentive programs. If the cheap Dollars are burning a hole in your pocket you may even drive away with one of the auctioned cars!

The low US Dollar and favorable exchange rate make tours to the USA very affordable. Unfortunately the hotel situation in New York is still unfavorable. While there are many new hotels going up in, mostly downtown Manhattan (at least 4 new hotels within 400m from our office!), their rooms are still high priced. The situation outside the big metropolitan areas is much better with more space available at good rates!

There are areas of the tourism field that clearly should “apologize for any inconvenience”, such as the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of Transportation etc. Planes are late in take-off and landing due to the USA’s antiquated air traffic system, creating problems with transfer schedules, connecting flights and creating a bad and frustrating mood at the beginning or end of a visit to the USA. The entry experience for overseas travelers drives away potential visitors and tarnishes America’s image abroad. Maybe by next year our government will start to realize that members of the European Union and NATO are mostly decent citizens and not terrorist to be treated with scorn and suspicion.

Again, thank you for the trust you had in us in the past; thank you for your business in the future.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Sincerely,

B. Fischer

For more information please contact Beat Fischer at groups@visitamerica.com