US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025
- $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
- $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
- $2.3M for "strengthening…
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| Above, Senso-Ji Temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Thanks to a weak yen, Japan saw record numbers of foreign visitors and spending during 2024.
Kyodo News reported:
The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 36 million in 2024 in a new all-time high, boosted by a weak yen and the resumption of flight routes to Japan following the COVID-19 pandemic, while their spending surpassed 8 trillion yen ($50.8 billion) for the first time on record, government data showed Wednesday.
Foreign tourists spent a total of 8.14 trillion yen on accommodation, shopping and other expenses in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 5.31 trillion yen set in 2023, preliminary figures from the Japan Tourism Agency showed.
A record 36.87 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2024 as peak travel periods, including the seasons for cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, contributed to annual visitor numbers from 20 markets setting new record highs, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the Hozomon Gate at Asakusa's Senso-ji temple. Photo by Armand Vaquer |
Thanks to the weak Japanese yen, tourist spending in Japan has reached record levels.
Reuters reported:
TOKYO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Visitor spending in Japan broke an annual record in just nine months, official data showed on Wednesday, demonstrating the economic power of a tourism boom fuelled by the weak yen.
Travellers spent 5.86 trillion yen ($39.27 billion) through September, preliminary figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed. That eclipsed the 5.3 trillion yen spent in all of 2023, a record for any 12-month period.
The current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen is 1 USD = 149.92 JPY.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, West Yellowstone, Montana. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Spending in communities near the national parks reached an all-time high last year.
Wyoming Public Media reported:
A new report shows visitors to national parks spent a record amount in surrounding communities last year, providing a major economic boost to those areas.
According to the Interior Department report, visitors spent nearly $24 billion last year on expenses like hotels, restaurants and gas around the parks – a 16% increase from 2021. Lodging drew the largest share of spending – $9 billion nationally. Restaurants were next in line, with $4.6 billion.
“Visitation to national parks would be really challenging without the folks in local communities who are there to support that tourism industry,” said Naaman Horn, who works in the Intermountain regional office for the National Park Service. “They're providing essential services to visitors who are coming to national parks.”
Visitors to parks in the Mountain West proved to be particularly spendy. Utah was third in the nation for visitor spending, while Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming were all in the top 15, according to the report.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Tokyo's Nakamise Street shopping area in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Since the restrictions of the pandemic have been lifted in Japan last October, tourists coming into the country have aided the economy with their spending.
Japan Today has posted that spending by foreign visitors in Japan has increased sevenfold in 2022.
They wrote:
TOKYO - Spending by foreign visitors to Japan in 2022 grew sharply from the year before to 898.7 billion yen as arrivals began increasing from October when border restrictions, initially imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, were eased, according to a government survey.
The figure was 7.4 times higher than the 120.8 billion yen spent in 2021, the lowest amount recorded since comparable data became available in 2010, but still down 81.3 percent from the 4.8 trillion yen recorded in 2019, the highest spending ever by overseas travelers.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency survey, the average expenditure per person was 234,524 yen, a 47.9 percent increase from 2019.
The government on Friday announced a basic plan to promote tourism in the country. Without setting a specific time limit, the aim is for 5 trillion yen in annual expenditures by foreign arrivals.
To read more, go here.
Here are the numbers of inflation since Biden occupied the White House (source: Senate Republican Communications Center):
18%
Resturants 12%
Energy 45%
Gasoline59%
Natural gas 52%
Electricity 23%
Home rentals 9%
Used vehicles 36%
Furniture 22%
Apparel 10%
Airline fares 42%
At this point in this mid-term election year, I would not want to be a leader in the Democrat Party. Things are going to hell in a handbasket and much of the problems rests with them, especially His Fraudulency Joe Biden.
KRQE posted a poll from NewsNation in an article posted yesterday.
They wrote (some snippets):
CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Americans’ lives have fundamentally changed in response to rampant inflation, according to a new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released Monday. Across the country, consumers are cutting back on dining and entertainment but also essentials including groceries and gasoline.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they are worse off financially today than they were a year ago. By comparison, only 18% of respondents said they were better off.
Even the post-pandemic travel boom is in jeopardy as people reconsider what they can afford.
With Memorial Day just around the corner, nearly half of registered voters say they’ve changed summer vacation plans — some moving trips closer to home but most saying they have had to cancel plans altogether.
More than 70% of respondents said they have had to cut back on purchases over the last month.
Opinions on the underlying causes of inflation vary widely, with some people NewsNation spoke to Sunday blaming President Joe Biden and the federal government.
“I feel that Washington has failed us miserably and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop,” said Earl Schwartzhoff of Minnesota.
Schwartzhoff said Biden should prioritize domestic oil production and restart construction on the Keystone XL pipeline in order to curb energy prices.
Remember the mantra during the Clinton years: "It's the economy, stupid!"
To read the full article, go here.
Yesterday morning, I had to go into Gallup to go to Home Depot to pick up a new garden hose. The old one was worn out and leaking.
As it frequently happens when shopping at Home Depot, I ended up buying more stuff than originally planned. I got the hose, but I also bought a cactus plant to go on the deck. The cactus was not priced, so I asked a couple of workers to check out the price.
They came back and said they couldn't find anything, but they did ask it $12 was okay. Having seen cacti like this one priced much higher, I jumped at it and immediately agreed to it. I bought a few other items, including a pot for the cactus and potting soil. When it gets bigger, I'll have to transfer it to a bigger pot.
Here's the cactus:
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| Above, The Beast at Route 66 RV Resort. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
When everyone (well, almost everyone) got their "free money" from the federal government during the pandemic and when the Democrats and His Fraudulency Joe Biden passed massive spending bills last year, the resulting tab everyone has to pay has come at a high price: inflation.
Food and other necessities are costing us more along with luxuries, including vacations. According to RV Travel, the cost of campground rates will be going up in 2022.
I noticed this already as Route 66 RV Resort near Albuqurque, New Mexico has increased their rates $5.00.
They posted:
If you’ve already started making your 2022 summer camping plans, this isn’t going to come as a surprise. The rates you’ll pay at many private campgrounds are going up.
While our current cycle of inflation holds much of the blame for higher campground pricing, it isn’t the whole story. Sure, the costs to campground owners for everything from electricity to garbage disposal to lumber are all up substantially. Campgrounds are just like the rest of the nation when it comes to the inflationary abyss.
But another overriding factor is that bedrock of the capitalist system … supply and demand.
To read more, go here.
