Signs of 'Trump Slump' in International Tourism to US The National
go to original March 3, 2017

The US Travel Association says there are “mounting signs” the Trump administration’s policies are having a “broad chilling effect on demand for international travel to the United States.” (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

They’re calling it the Trump Slump. Not only is US president Donald Trump discouraging migrants from mainly Muslim countries, he is having a similar effect on all visitors to the United States.

The US Travel Association says the Trump administration’s immigration policies are hurting tourism.

Earlier this week, the tourism agency NYC & Company revised its 2017 forecast to predict a drop in inbound international travel to New York City, with 300,000 fewer visitors compared to 2016. It will be he first time visitor numbers to New York have dropped since the 2008 recession. The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau lost a booking for an international conference expected to be attended by 3,000 people. They decided to go to Canada or Mexico instead. In Canada, the Toronto Star newspaper has encouraged Canadians to boycott the US for holidays while Mr Trump remains president.

ForwardKeys, which tracks travel bookings, reported in February that international trends in bookings to the US are down by 6.5 per cent compared with the equivalent period the year before.

"It’s known as the Trump Slump," travel guru Arthur Frommer wrote last month on Frommers.com. He called it "an unintended consequence of the Trump-led efforts to stop many Muslims from coming to the US," resulting in "a sharp drop in foreign tourism to our nation that imperils jobs and touristic income."

Roger Dow, the president and CEO of the US. Travel Association said there was concern that many international travellers have interpreted Mr Trump’s policies as "wanting to discourage international visitors generally, not just those who pose a security risk." Tourism generates $2.1 trillion for the US economy and supports 15.1 million jobs, with international visitors a key component.

Read the rest at The National

Related: As Trump Tightens Border, U.S. Congress Bill Would Allow Canadian Snowbirds to Stay for an Extra Two Months (National Post)

Related: Violence Keeps Mexican Citizens from Traveling to US (KRGV)

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