For world’s tourists, U.S. no longer ranks first
Contrary to his recent crowing about long-standing airline safety improvements, President Trump might not be single-handedly responsible for keeping the nation’s planes aloft. But if he wants to take credit for a travel trend that does appear to be linked to his administration, it could be keeping more potential foreign tourists on the ground.
Trump’s virulent xenophobia appears to be mutual: He is presiding over a bust in foreign travel to the United States that has grown grim enough to send the tourism trade scrambling to reverse course. True, the travel industry’s “Trump slump” is hardly the weightiest consequence of the administration’s Fortress America footing, but it does point to a striking alteration of the nation’s image around the world.
About 1.7 million fewer foreign visitors entered the country in the first seven months of last year than during the same period of 2016, a 4 percent decline, according to the latest counts available from the Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office. Having climbed steadily since early in the Obama administration, foreign tourism began falling in the second quarter of 2016 and dropped more steadily last year.
California experienced a concurrent 5 percent drop in foreign tourists arriving at its airports through the first five months of the year, according to federal data compiled by Visit California, whose “All Dreams Welcome” campaign is one of a number of regional efforts to reassure international tourists.
Canada, in contrast, was expected to enjoy a 7 percent increase in overseas tourism compared with the previous year.
U.S. Travel Association Chief Executive Roger Dow has called the government data “deeply concerning ... to anyone who cares about the economic well-being of the United States” and said “correcting this troubling trend needs to become a national priority.” A new industry coalition, Visit U.S., is planning to highlight the contributions of foreign tourists, who according to the trade group generated $246 billion in spending in 2016 and directly support 1.2 million jobs.
Dow and others have noted that foreign travel faces headwinds unrelated to the administration, including a strong dollar, which makes the country more expensive
for international visitors, a slowing global economy, more affordable airfares to other destinations, and natural disasters in California and the Caribbean. But Trump’s rhetoric and policies probably have played a major role.
His impact can be seen not only in the timing of the tourism decline — coinciding with the rise of his candidacy and accelerating under his administration — but also its composition. Reflecting his anti-Muslim rhetoric and travel restrictions, the steepest regional decline was in visits from the Middle East, which were down 32 percent through July 2017 compared with the same period of 2016. Latin America also figured heavily, with sharp decreases in visitors from Argentina (19.1 percent), Brazil (12.5 percent) and Colombia (10.6 percent). The first half of 2017 also saw an 8.5 percent decline in visits from Mexicans, who account for about a quarter of America’s foreign tourists and have been excoriated by Trump since the first day of his campaign.
Even beyond his infamous vows to fortify the U.S.Mexico border and “shut down” Muslim immigration, Trump has hardly missed an opportunity to signal hostility to the world. He has disparaged international alliances, threatened multilateral agreements, and gone so far as to propose eliminating Brand USA, the organization that promotes the United States as a tourist destination abroad, suggesting the traveler fees that support it should be redirected to border security. The administration has further discouraged foreign tourism by cracking down on visas and imposing additional restrictions on some air travelers.
That helps explain the diverse nature of the global souring on America, which encompasses substantial declines in tourism not only from south of the border and the Muslim world, but also from Europe and Asia. Trump’s “America First” message has justifiably inspired worldwide revulsion.