Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 9/29/20
During World War I, Americans were closed off from overseas travel, and the railroads saw their opportunity to try and get vacationers to instead travel and explore their own country. The “See America First” campaign promoted National Parks as a low-cost replacement to the upper-middle-class’s usual European excursions. Today, once again barred from international travel, U.S. citizens are discovering their own backyard. According to ftn News, 91 percent of the total distance traveled by Americans between June 1 and Aug. 31, was within the U.S., compared to only 43 percent during the same period of 2019.