Travel Boycott of Arizona, More Harm than Good? There is a movement in the USA to boycott the state of Arizona. People with a chrystiline notion of justice have made a call that tourists should not travel to Arizona in an attempt to pressure the local government into overturning its new batch of anti-illegal immigrant [...]
Published on May 15, 2010
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Travel Boycott of Arizona, More Harm than Good?
There is a movement in the USA to boycott the state of Arizona. People with a chrystiline notion of justice have made a call that tourists should not travel to Arizona in an attempt to pressure the local government into overturning its new batch of anti-illegal immigrant laws. These laws state that police officers are required to request identification from any person whose legal status may be in question.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Boston, St. Paul, Minn., Oakland, San Diego, West Hollywood, El Paso (city and county), Boulder, and a large number of special interest groups have already boycotted travel to Arizona.
Map of Arizona
Arizona, which shares a long border with Mexico, has been fighting a battle against illegal immigration for as long as anyone cares to remember, but this new tactic is one of the least popular in recent years. Many states, municipalies, and special interest groups around the USA are calling for boycotts of Arizona as a whole — companies are refusing to do business with Arizona firms, other states have ceased relations with its southwestern kin, and the call has went up to encourage people not to travel to Arizona, to not spend money in such an unjust, inhumane state.
This is suppose to help the Latino population of Arizona.
The moral muckrakers of the liberal side of the USA seem to be trying to punish an entire state in an attempt to pressure its government to overturn its policy. Though it is my impression that states are also made of people, not just institutions, politians, and police. An act economic sabotage against a government — a boycott, sanctions, whatever you want to call it — is an affront against the people who live there, and that the common people may be the ones who feel the heavy hand of the boycott the most vehemently.
I cannot help but to wonder how this is going to help anybody in Arizona. A travel ban on the state means that tourism will decrease, less people will visit, would be tourists and liberal government officials will get to stroke their moral cocks and cloak themselves in self-righteous grandeur:
“Arizona violates human rights, so we are going to take our vaction somewhere else. We’ll show ’em!”
If this travel boycott to Arizona actually effects a large decrease in tourism, then there is a good chance that many hotels and other businesses dependant on tourists dollars may be stabbed in the gut financially. Companies that do not turn as much of a profit as they would like often lay off employees, axing the lowest levels of their staffs first.
Who makes up a large portion of the low level staff in the Arizona hospitality industry?
People of Hispanic descent, both immigrants and citizens.
So now it seems to me that not only do many people of Hispanic descent in Arizona need to bother with increased police survelience but also with the threat of loosing their jobs, as well. One affront comes from the political right, and the other from the left, the people get caught in the middle — same story.
Are these the intended ends of the travel boycott?
About the Author: VBJ
I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. VBJ has written 3700 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
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6 comments… add one
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May 15, 2010, 2:08 pm
LinkBull, the only thing these morons understand is the loss of dollars. Boycott anything and everything to do with Arizona until they pull their collective head out.
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May 15, 2010, 2:20 pm
LinkWhat morons are you talking about?
The hotel owners? The restaurants?
Sir, hotel owners do not often make government policy, and the people in government are not necessarily in the tourism industry.
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May 15, 2010, 7:48 pm
LinkIn my opinion, these kinds of boycotts are just a media show and have no real effect, positive or negative, on anyone. However, I am seriously considering a trip to Aridzona as an act of support. Many of my relatives came to this country legally and worked their butts off to attain citizenship and assimilate into society. As bad as our immigration laws are, our lack of enforcement is worse.
Bob L
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Link
There is a good chance that a lot of people may be following you haha. It is amazing how far divided the poles of popular opinion are in the USA. increase economic pressures a little more, and we may be looking at some real successionist movements.
I agree with you, times do chance: the strategies that were good for any country 100 years ago are seldom of much pertinence today.
I also agree that illegal immigration enforcement in the USA is a joke. When I was down around the Mexican border of Arizona it was amazing how in certain areas it was as though it was a militarized +ne, while in others there was nobody around and people just walk across the border as they please. When Chaya was working on the border, she would come across border jumpers regularly.
When my wife can walk out into the desert and come across illegal immigrants, it makes me think that enforcement is, in actuality, pretty weak.
It is my impression that this law is also a media show. It is so archaic that I cannot take it seriously. The USA is a country that can wipe other governments off the map in a matter of days — it is a country that has access to most advanced military surveillance equipment on the planet — it is difficult for me to believe that charging regular police officers with the duty of checking IDs is really the most effective action that can be taken to curb illegal immigration.
This seems to just be a media match between two political factions in the USA. Both sides are throwing moot punches. Hopefully, you are right about this not having any real impact on the people involved in the tourism industry of the state.
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Link
It seems like many people will be following Bob and traveling to Arizona this year to show support for the anti-illegal immigration laws.
Travel to Arizona in Support of Anti-immigraton Lawa
Ironically, perhaps the tourism industry may be better off FOR the boycotts.
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Link
“Ironically, perhaps the tourism industry may be better off FOR the boycotts.”
Which shows, yet again, that it is not just Government actions that often have unintended consequences.
Bob L
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