It is the author's first time in San Francisco airport (SFO) in perhaps 8 or 9 years. The airport seems have gotten much cleaner, brighter, and bigger than before. But amid the positive first impressions of the place, one other visual cue that stood out, maybe a bit too much, was just how many Asian people can be found in the airport. The majority of people at the airport was Asian, from guys assisting passengers at the luggage scanning machines, the people guiding people around airports, to, of course, passengers themselves. Even immigration staff, generally pretty multiracial, tends to be heavily Asian at SFO.
And the non-people aspects are turning more Asian too. Signage around the airport, English only in the past, have been supplemented by a digital display boards next to them that toggle among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean displaying the same info. Even in the domestic terminals, there seem to be many more "fusion Asian" restaurants of sorts, newly established to attract the larger numbers of Asian travelers. Judging by the large Asian crowds filling up their seating areas, the Asian-centered business strategy seems to be working rather well.
Of course, the sights of "Asian-ness" may not be common throughout all American airports. California, being geographically closest to Asia, has traditionally been the preferred destination of Asian immigrants, and SFO, being the international gateway of northern California, would be the transport node for many of these immigrants. Add on to this, the large numbers of Asian study abroad students and short-term tourists funneling through the gateway before heading elsewhere in the country, it is not surprising that SFO would hold large numbers of Asian travelers.
But the fact that the Asians have become so numerically and visually dominant is still comes as a mild shock. After all, California is a preferred destination for residence and tourism for many non-Asian peoples as well, but their impact on the airport staffing and businesses just are not felt in the same way. There could be an argument made for relative populations and purchasing powers of different ethnicities/nationalities, but that still cannot explain why white Americans and Europeans, who remain on average the most travelled and wealthiest, do not stand out nearly as much as the Asians.
Part of the Asians sticking out so much in Californian airports may be attributed to just how new the phenomenon is. Airports in America, generally speaking, are initially built, designed, and fitted with cultural and spending needs of the white travelers. For instance, compared to Asian airports, American airports still probably remain much higher in density when it comes to coffee shops inside terminals. Asians, being a tiny population minority in overall US population, have not had the same clout as whites in airport design concerns, so the sudden Asian focus can easily grab attention.
Yet at the same time, the shift toward Asian-ness may also be due to the shift in philosophy of how American architectural designers perceive foreign influence. It was only merely years ago that the view of international airports being a concrete introduction of American culture to foreigners entering the country. Logically then, visual foreignness should be kept at a minimum, allowing foreign travelers to appreciate what is meant to be American in a highly visual and materialistic manner.
Over the years, that approach has shown itself to be less and less reasonable considering the real-world situation. Large numbers of foreign tourists, while enjoying being a foreign country, demand conveniences from home, including access to cuisines, languages, and other creature comforts. Looking foreign is becoming good for business, and businessmen were not going to let their cultural/national pride get in the way of making money for ever-wealthier Asian populations in America.
The long-term implication of the increased Asian-ness in California remains to be seen. With Trump stepping up restrictions on working visas for foreigners, Asians residents working in the tech sector of Silicon Valley is bound to fall over time. But as Asia gets wealthier, more and more curious tourists will be able to find their way to America with financial ease. Non-Asians’ perceptions of Asians are starting to change, from those of hardworking but poor immigrants to wealthy populations with massive spending powers. Places like SFO is where the change in perceptions will happen first.
And the non-people aspects are turning more Asian too. Signage around the airport, English only in the past, have been supplemented by a digital display boards next to them that toggle among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean displaying the same info. Even in the domestic terminals, there seem to be many more "fusion Asian" restaurants of sorts, newly established to attract the larger numbers of Asian travelers. Judging by the large Asian crowds filling up their seating areas, the Asian-centered business strategy seems to be working rather well.
Of course, the sights of "Asian-ness" may not be common throughout all American airports. California, being geographically closest to Asia, has traditionally been the preferred destination of Asian immigrants, and SFO, being the international gateway of northern California, would be the transport node for many of these immigrants. Add on to this, the large numbers of Asian study abroad students and short-term tourists funneling through the gateway before heading elsewhere in the country, it is not surprising that SFO would hold large numbers of Asian travelers.
But the fact that the Asians have become so numerically and visually dominant is still comes as a mild shock. After all, California is a preferred destination for residence and tourism for many non-Asian peoples as well, but their impact on the airport staffing and businesses just are not felt in the same way. There could be an argument made for relative populations and purchasing powers of different ethnicities/nationalities, but that still cannot explain why white Americans and Europeans, who remain on average the most travelled and wealthiest, do not stand out nearly as much as the Asians.
Part of the Asians sticking out so much in Californian airports may be attributed to just how new the phenomenon is. Airports in America, generally speaking, are initially built, designed, and fitted with cultural and spending needs of the white travelers. For instance, compared to Asian airports, American airports still probably remain much higher in density when it comes to coffee shops inside terminals. Asians, being a tiny population minority in overall US population, have not had the same clout as whites in airport design concerns, so the sudden Asian focus can easily grab attention.
Yet at the same time, the shift toward Asian-ness may also be due to the shift in philosophy of how American architectural designers perceive foreign influence. It was only merely years ago that the view of international airports being a concrete introduction of American culture to foreigners entering the country. Logically then, visual foreignness should be kept at a minimum, allowing foreign travelers to appreciate what is meant to be American in a highly visual and materialistic manner.
Over the years, that approach has shown itself to be less and less reasonable considering the real-world situation. Large numbers of foreign tourists, while enjoying being a foreign country, demand conveniences from home, including access to cuisines, languages, and other creature comforts. Looking foreign is becoming good for business, and businessmen were not going to let their cultural/national pride get in the way of making money for ever-wealthier Asian populations in America.
The long-term implication of the increased Asian-ness in California remains to be seen. With Trump stepping up restrictions on working visas for foreigners, Asians residents working in the tech sector of Silicon Valley is bound to fall over time. But as Asia gets wealthier, more and more curious tourists will be able to find their way to America with financial ease. Non-Asians’ perceptions of Asians are starting to change, from those of hardworking but poor immigrants to wealthy populations with massive spending powers. Places like SFO is where the change in perceptions will happen first.
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