President Obama promotes jobs through tourism

Calling tourism "the number one service we export," and saying that "the more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work," President Obama uses today's weekly address to promote the idea of letting the world know that "America is open for business.

We can’t wait to seize this opportunity. As I’ve said before, I will continue to work with Congress, states, and leaders in the private sector to find ways to move this country forward. But where they can’t act or won’t act, I will. cause we want the world to know that America is open for business. And that’s why I announced steps we’re taking to promote America and make it easier for tourists to come and visit.

The President goes on to outline various steps to make traveling to the U. S. more attractive—speeding up visa processing, pre-clearances from Homeland Security and so on—to lure in people from countries "with growing middle classes that can afford to visit America.

And noting that "this is the latest in a series of actions I’ve taken on my own to help our economy keep growing, creating jobs, and restoring security for middle-class families," due to the obstructionists in Congress, the President calls this tourism initiative another good step to help rebuild the economy.

The President concludes with a reminder that he will be delivering his State of the Union Address next Tuesday, where he will lay out his "blueprint for actions we need to take" to make America the "best place to live and work and build a better life.

Complete transcript is below the fold.

Hello, everybody.

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