UK visitor numbers to US fall, fuelling fears ‘brand America’ is in trouble
Visitor numbers to the US were up 4% year on year in April, surprising those who thought tourists would be deterred by President Donald Trump’s attempted travel bans.
However, numbers from the UK are down 6% over the last year and CEO of the US Travel Association Roger Dow has admitted that ‘brand America is in trouble’.
Nevertheless, Dow said he was surprised by the overall rise in visitor numbers in April. Given that visitors to the US usually start planning their trips 57 days in advance, it had been thought that the Trump’s first executive order banning travel from several Muslim countries, which was issued in January, would have had an impact on numbers by April.
Speaking at IPW 2017 in Washington, Dow added: "There have been many claims that the administration’s actions on travel have tarnished America’s brand abroad, but we’re seeing hard economic evidence of the US travel sector’s remarkable resilience."
However, he said the industry could not afford to be complacent, despite the fact that the executive order, and a subsequent travel ban, have been overturned.
"Even though we’re encouraged by these strong figures, we’ll continue to urge the administration to more publicly send the message that while the US is closed to terror, it remains open for business," he added.
"We should not take it for granted that this trend will sustain, and the 15.3 million American jobs that depend on travel are not worth putting at risk. A simple and clear welcome message will go a long way in that regard."
Trump’s first travel ban was overturned by the US courts, which have also put a second ban on hold.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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