SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The U.S. saw a major decline in international tourism in 2017--the first year of President Donald Trump's term. (Photo: Mark Collins/Flickr/cc)
Citing Rhetoric and Policies, US Tourism Industry Blames Trump as Foreigners Flock Elsewhere
"It's not a reach to say the rhetoric and policies of this administration are affecting sentiment around the world, creating antipathy toward the U.S. and affecting travel behavior."
Jan 24, 2018
The tourism industry is blaming President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies and xenophobic rhetoric for a decline in foreign visitors to the U.S. since Trump took office a year ago.
The National Travel and Tourism Office saw a nearly four percent drop in foreign travelers entering the U.S. in 2017 and more than a three percent drop in spending by tourists.
The slump translates to $4.6 billion in lost tourist spending and 40,000 tourism jobs lost.
The data was released at the end of a year in which Trump ordered bans on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries; pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of racially profiling Latinos and abusing inmates; touted his plans to build a 30-foot wall separating the U.S. from Mexico; and moved to repeal deportation protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S as children and have lived and worked there for years.
Most recently the president was accused by Republican and Democratic lawmakers of referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and the nations of Africa as "shithole" countries and advocated for more immigration from European countries such as Norway.
"It's not a reach to say the rhetoric and policies of this administration are affecting sentiment around the world, creating antipathy toward the U.S. and affecting travel behavior," Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told the New York Times.
The decline has bumped the U.S. out of its place as the number-two most visited country in the world, with Spain taking its place.
The number-one spot went to France, as it did in 2016.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The tourism industry is blaming President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies and xenophobic rhetoric for a decline in foreign visitors to the U.S. since Trump took office a year ago.
The National Travel and Tourism Office saw a nearly four percent drop in foreign travelers entering the U.S. in 2017 and more than a three percent drop in spending by tourists.
The slump translates to $4.6 billion in lost tourist spending and 40,000 tourism jobs lost.
The data was released at the end of a year in which Trump ordered bans on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries; pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of racially profiling Latinos and abusing inmates; touted his plans to build a 30-foot wall separating the U.S. from Mexico; and moved to repeal deportation protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S as children and have lived and worked there for years.
Most recently the president was accused by Republican and Democratic lawmakers of referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and the nations of Africa as "shithole" countries and advocated for more immigration from European countries such as Norway.
"It's not a reach to say the rhetoric and policies of this administration are affecting sentiment around the world, creating antipathy toward the U.S. and affecting travel behavior," Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told the New York Times.
The decline has bumped the U.S. out of its place as the number-two most visited country in the world, with Spain taking its place.
The number-one spot went to France, as it did in 2016.
The tourism industry is blaming President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies and xenophobic rhetoric for a decline in foreign visitors to the U.S. since Trump took office a year ago.
The National Travel and Tourism Office saw a nearly four percent drop in foreign travelers entering the U.S. in 2017 and more than a three percent drop in spending by tourists.
The slump translates to $4.6 billion in lost tourist spending and 40,000 tourism jobs lost.
The data was released at the end of a year in which Trump ordered bans on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries; pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of racially profiling Latinos and abusing inmates; touted his plans to build a 30-foot wall separating the U.S. from Mexico; and moved to repeal deportation protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S as children and have lived and worked there for years.
Most recently the president was accused by Republican and Democratic lawmakers of referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and the nations of Africa as "shithole" countries and advocated for more immigration from European countries such as Norway.
"It's not a reach to say the rhetoric and policies of this administration are affecting sentiment around the world, creating antipathy toward the U.S. and affecting travel behavior," Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told the New York Times.
The decline has bumped the U.S. out of its place as the number-two most visited country in the world, with Spain taking its place.
The number-one spot went to France, as it did in 2016.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.