Northern America: North America Tourism Profile

North America Tourism Profile

North America, comprising of countries that are rich in natural wonders and all the other paraphernalia associated with tourism, is one of the most traveled continents of the world. Tourism in North America is a booming industry and features some of the most visited tourist attractions of the world like Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountains. Canada The second largest country in the world, Canada's incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attractor. Much of the country's tourism is centered around Canada's four largest cities, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa, well-known for their culture diversity, as well as the many national parks and historic sites. US Tourism in the United States is a large industry that serves millions of international and domestic tourists yearly.

Tourists visit the US to see natural wonders, cities, historic landmarks and entertainment venues. Americans seek similar attractions, as well as recreation and vacation areas. In the US, tourism is either the first, second or third largest employer in 29 states which, employing 7.3 million in 2004, to take care of 1.19 billion trips tourists took in the US in 2005. In 2007, there are 2,462 registered National Historic Landmarks (NHL) recognized by the United States government. As of 2008, the most visited tourist attraction in the US is Times Square in Manhattan, New York City which attracts approximately 35 million visitors yearly.

The United States has many of the top tourist locations in the world. Visiting the US offers a historical view of a relatively young country. Its youth is marked by fun things to do in cities like Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York where theme parks, museums, and entertainment are the top America tourist attractions. The states in New England offer a good deal of locations that are great to visit if a tourist is looking to learn about US history. The western United States is home to many national parks and natural geologic formations. When looking for a relaxing tropical vacation Hawaii is the destination many Americans choose. Mexico Tourism in Mexico is a very large industry. Mexico is the number one destination for foreign tourists within the Latin America region and number two destination in the Americas, ranking worldwide in the tenth place in terms of the international tourist arrivals, with more than 22.6 million visitors in 2008 while US dollar travel spending by all visitors rose 3.4% to US$13.3 billion.

More significantly, WTTC's research shows that the country's Travel & Tourism Economy increased its contribution to 13.2% of Mexico's GDP, growing by 3.8%. The most notable attractions are the Meso-American ruins, colonial cities, and especially the beach resorts. The nation's temperate climate and unique culture – a fusion of the European (particularly Spanish) and the Meso-American – also make Mexico an attractive destination.

The peak tourism seasons in the country are during December and the mid-Summer, with brief surges during the week before Easter and the Spring break, when many of the beach resort sites become popular destinations for college students from the United States. The vast majority of tourists come to Mexico from the United States and Canada. Many other visitors come from Europe and Asia. A small number of tourists also come from other Latin American countries. There is also a burgeoning domestic tourism trade as a growing affluent middle class begins to vacation within their own country. While Mexico's middle/lower class usually promotes national tourism, the middle/higher class usually prefers to travel overseas. Caribbean Many governments in the Caribbean welcomed tourists with open arms because it was thought that tourism would boost their economies. Caribbean islands now depend on tourism for their economy, often being referred to as “the engine of their growth”.

Tourism has also benefited farmers, fishermen, and merchants because they must grow and supply more fish, meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, and fruit to feed the large number of visitors. These individuals will be making money off their supplies.

The downside of tourism in Caribbean is also obvious. Tourism contributes less to the long-term economy than expected. Tourism requires larger capital because of the infrastructure that is necessary. The Caribbean has had to borrow money from foreign governments to build these amenities. Paying off those loans, and the cost of maintaining the expensive new infrastructure, has stretched some Caribbean governments and their taxpayers to the limit. Much of the profit from tourism leaves the region. Second, much of the profit from tourism leaves the region. A lot of the profit goes to foreign investment and foreign control of the Caribbean’s tourism industry. The Climate North America is the only continent in this world that has every kind of climate starting from dry to bitter cold of the Arctic to the steamy heat of the tropics.

The continent also has some usual kind of climates, which cannot be found in other parts of the world. The interior of the Greenland remains covered by the ice and the temperature hardly rises above freezing. The treeless plain of the far north - the North American tundra only sees temperature rising above freezing during the summer only for a short duration. The rest of the continent remain cold during the winter and warn in the summer. Some parts of the continent may have mild winters and long hot summers. Other parts see short summers and harsh winters.