Obama pushes tourism at Disney

Courtesy The White House

President Obama stopped by the Magic Kingdom on Thursday to push the need to increase the number of visitors to the country.

The President on Thursday signed an executive order that aims to create “a national strategy” to position the United States as the top tourist destination in the world. The White House says international tourism supported 1.2 million domestic jobs in 2010.

“Every year, tens of millions of tourists from all over the world come and visit America. And the more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work,” Obama said. “That’s how we’re going to rebuild an economy where hard work pays off, where responsibility is rewarded, and where anyone can make it if they try.”

Among the executive order’s provisions, the visa processing capacity for non-immigrant visas from China and Brazil would increase by 40 percent this year. Said Obama: “We’re not talking about five years from now or 10 years from now -- this year.”

“We’re going to see how we can make it easier for foreign tourists to find basic information about visiting America, visiting not just Epcot Center, but the Everglades, too,” Obama said. “The more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work.  It’s that simple.”