US President Barack Obama’s re-election to the White House has been welcomed by the tourism industry in the States.
Obama has long been seen as a proactive advocate of the tourism sector in the US, which has been underperforming for some time.
In his first term, Obama oversaw the launch of Brand USA – a public-private initiative designed to reinvigorate the tourism sector and boost visitor numbers to the States.
He also set about reducing visa waiting times for tourists from both Brazil and China – two huge markets that can generate millions in tourist revenue.
Taleb Rifai, secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, recently praised the US President for his support of the tourism industry despite an uncertain economy.
Now that Obama has been re-elected, experts in the tourism industry are expecting even more progress over the next four years.
America’s first black President won a hard-fought victory against his Republican rival Mitt Romney, taking 303 electoral college votes compared to Romney’s 206.
“We have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come,” Obama said.
While the electoral college vote paints a picture of an emphatic win for Obama, the popular vote – the actual number of votes cast – was far closer.
It was an election that came down to the wire, with many Americans unhappy with the state of the economy after four years under Obama.
But the President did enough on the campaign trail to secure the second. Prime Minister David Cameron was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Obama.
“I think he’s a very successful US president and I look forward to working with him in the future,” he said.
“I have really enjoyed working with him over the last few years and I look forward to working with him again over the next four years.”
