May 14, 2003 - The U.S. tourism industry is trying hard to attract more foreign tourists, but worldwide economic woes, severe acute respiratory syndrome and the ongoing war on terrorism are formidable hurdles. 

Attendance at the industry's premier event for selling itself overseas, the International Pow Wow, is expected to decline again this year. The event, which is put on by the Travel Industry Association of America, brings foreign travel agents, tour operators and travel writers to the United States to see what's new. 

Officials expect 4,500 attendees at the event this weekend in St. Louis, down nearly 20 percent from 2001, when 5,700 people attended the show in Orlando, Fla. 

"There's no question that since 9-11, attendance at Pow Wow has suffered somewhat," said Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president of marketing for the TIA and general manager of the Pow Wow. "What's happening is across the board. Almost every single company has scaled back in some way. It's true for American companies and international buyers. We definitely lost some businesses in the last 36 months." 

Most of the cutbacks are due to the economy. Many companies, tourism attractions and agencies don't have the budget to send large groups of people. Instead of three delegates, a company may only send two. 

Now, in addition to the economy, SARS is keeping a number of Asian tour operators out of the country, she said. Most of the delegates who attend from Singapore, Hong Kong and China have decided not to come to avoid potential problems. "They're concerned they won't be allowed entry trying to come to the U.S. from those destinations, so they're just canceling," O'Rourke said. 

About $3 billion in business is done at the show annually, according to TIA officials. Travel agents and tour operators buy hotel rooms and tickets for airlines, attractions and events. The industry strives to show that, despite heightened security, the United States is still open to foreign business. 

"There's this perception of Fortress America," O'Rourke said. "We have a very consistent security system at all our airports. We can tell that story with Pow Wow. Hundreds of tour operators throughout the world will be able to experience that system and be able to relay that to their customers." 

Foreign travelers make up about 13 percent of the country's $545 billion travel industry. Although they're not a majority of the market, foreign travelers represent new money coming into the domestic market. 

Foreign travelers also take longer vacations than domestic travelers, and are more likely to stay in a hotel and eat in a restaurant. They are also more likely to shop while on vacation than a domestic traveler. All of that makes them desirable to the U.S. tourism industry. 

Tourism officials hope that that feeling will be reciprocated, and that foreign travelers will find a U.S. vacation to be just as desirable. 

"I think just what we're sensing is there's a lot of pent-up desire for travel," said David Teel, director of the tourism division for Texas Economic Development. "People are looking for an opportune time to do it. The fact is, Germans see Texas as a safe travel destination. When we get consumers moving back and acting on their travel desires, we'll see things picking up." 

In the meantime, Texas tourism officials are taking a smaller delegation to the Pow Wow this year. Five communities -- Corpus Christi, South Padre Island, Amarillo, Bandera and Bryan-College Station -- will participate in the state's booth at the trade show. 

Last year there were six. 

Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Irving, San Antonio and the Mayan Dude Ranch will also have their own booths at the show this year. Billy Bob's Texas will not be there this year, but Houston, which did not send representatives last year, has replaced it on the list of Texas destinations and attractions. 

The Fort Worth delegation will be making a hard sell for its Texas Chisholm Trail travel packages. About a month ago, a group of tour operators from the United Kingdom toured the trail, starting in Houston and finishing in Fort Worth. 

"There is interest right now in that particular package," said Greg Staley, communications director for the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It makes it a very good way to package travel to Texas. There's some familiarity with it. Our bureau has a strong interest in seeing the success from that." 

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(c) 2003, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.