The U.S. Travel Association Admits Trump's Policies Hurt America’s Tourism

Caribbean News…
15 December 2019 5:06am
The U.S. Travel Association Admits the Trump Administration Hurts America’s Tourism

The U.S. Travel Association on Thursday said the Trump administration‘s immigration policies are hurting tourism.

According to an assessment of the report made by Spring Hill Insider, the U.S. TRavel Association statement indicates that there are “mounting signs” of “a broad chilling effect on demand for international travel to the United States.”

The U.S. Travel Association‘s statement added to a growing chorus of concern from the travel industry over the impact of Trump administration policies on 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 the first drop in visitation to New York since the start of the recession in 2008,” the information on Spring Hill Insider reads on.

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau told the Philadelphia Inquirer this week that it had lost out on an international meeting with 3,000 attendees that decided to go to Canada or Mexico instead.

And ForwardKeys, which tracks travel bookings, reported in February that “international trends in bookings to the US are down 6.5 percent compared with the equivalent period the year before.”

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow said there‘s concern that many international travelers have interpreted Trump‘s policies as “wanting to discourage international visitors generally, not just those who pose a security risk.”

Tourism is an enormous sector of the U.S. economy, generating $2.1 trillion in economic output and supporting 15.1 million jobs, with international arrivals a key component, according to data from the U.S. Travel Association.

Last year, the U.S. Commerce Department predicted a record 78.6 million international visitors would visit the U.S. in 2017. That forecast is usually updated in May.

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