Tourism is diplomacy. A single tourist may not move markets or drive political change, but tourism responds to the times, rising and falling along with political rhetoric, immigration policy and cultural shifts.

This week on Wake we’re exploring recent trends in global and domestic travel, considering what the U.S. can do to draw more visitors to America’s shores and how Americans tourists can be better ambassadors abroad.

Our guests this week are:

• Rick Steves, travel guidebook author and TV host
• Amos Snead, spokesperson, Visit U.S. Coalition

If you enjoy this discussion, follow Wake on Twitter @WakeOnAir. To share feedback with us, send an email to [email protected].

Hosted by Luke Vargas.