Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Statistics Show Increase in International Tourism


No white Christmas for Wellfleet in 2008! The snow that fell, earlier this week, is almost all gone. Not much happening downtown. The fence posts beside Preservation Hall are adorned with Santa Claus caps, so Christmas cheer is on display, although there has been a call for help from local food pantries, and the mood remains glum at the grocery store, where specials are now posted by the door. The temperature may be frigid but the statistics, released by the Commerce Department, are heart-warming. 39 million visitors from abroad traveled to the United States during the first nine months of 2008, an increase of eight percent over the same period in 2007. The United Kingdom was well represented with 37% of all Western European arrivals. German arrivals increased 20 percent, French arrivals 28 percent. Swedish arrivals increased 21 percent. May these trends continue through 2009 and beyond!