(Copy of news article sent to the leading U.S. dailies and to the OST papers)
THE GREATEST BUSINESS IK THE WORLD By Harral Ayres, Managing Director Old Spanish Trail
San Antonio, Texas, November 1928--------The most valuable business for a
community is the American tourist and travel business but it is a business that must be sought intelligently. It has already grown to gigantic proportions and it brings to a community a steady supply of cash. Local crop3 may fail but the American travel movement keeps on steadily in its chosen channels. Statistics respecting automobile travel are becoming well authenticated but the figures are so amazing people hesitate to accept them.
We know there are 25,000,000 motor vehicles now in the United States.
The A.A.A. and other auto clubs routing travelers now total nearly 1200. In addition travel bureaus are maintained by great newspapers, magazines, banks, chambers of commerce, department stores, and numerous other organizations. Reports show there are 40,COO,000 tourist travelers annually and they spend a total of two billions of dollars.
We know a dollar received passes through many hands. Economists tell us the average circulation value of a dollar to the community is seven dollars.
On this principle the two billions spent annually by the 40,COO,COO auto travelers represent fourteen billions of dollars circulation values to the communities.
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced that the passports issued so far this year indicate nine hundred millions will be spent in foreign countries during 1928. With the progress of paved highways the tendency to "go to Europe” will, let us hope, be restrained.
The automobile trunk line today is more attractive for travel than the railroad. Every car owner knows how much he prefers to "jump in his car and go" than travel by train. Moreover, the home seeker and the investor oan