GRIOTS REPUBLIC - An Urban Black Travel Mag - March 2016

Have you ever listened to a song and thought,
”Could that really happen?” The blog lyricfancy
answers that question by reality checking music
lyrics. Start with a tune, form a hypothesis, mix
in a little research and see what happens.
Lyric
Reading departure signs in some big airport,
reminds me of the places I’ve been.
Song & Artist
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by
Jimmy Buffett
Hypothesis
Most tourists venture to at least one international
locale in their lifetime.
Analysis
Musician and island enthusiast Jimmy Buffet
reflects on his travels with fondness in Changes
in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. His ode
to world wandering got me to wondering. Do
most tourists leave their home countries?
Let’s take a journey to find out.
It may seem trivial to define a tourist, but there
are nuances for the purposes of statistics. A
tourist is a person who travels for pleasure
(instead of business or family obligations).
According to the United Nations World
Tourism Organization, tourism is expected
to increase over the next 15 years. Even
areas that have traditionally declining visitor
rates, such as Africa and the Middle East, are
experiencing a surge in tourism rates.
Living Social, the online deal marketplace,
studied Americans’ ultimate destinations and
found Las Vegas and Disney World landed
on the top 10 list. While those sun-filled
destinations bode well for domestic travel;
astonishingly, sixty four percent of the U.S.
population has never traveled abroad. Two
words: do better. The universe is brimming
with rich cultures, beautiful landscapes and