Will Travel Plans Change In Light Of The Travel Bans
Traveling here and abroad is always a welcome reprieve for weary workers. Nothing can rejuvenate the senses better than taking a break from the daily grind and enjoying the beautiful sights of a new city or to bask in the sun somewhere in the tropics. And Americans are known to be frequent globe-trotting travelers that love interesting attractions.
In light of the various travel bans issued by the Trump administration, traveling is proving to be more of a burden and challenge and defeat the purpose of having one. Did the plans of the multitudes of American travelers change or are they still yearning to go out and explore the world?
President Trump’s travel ban has caused some destinations and tourism organizations to project fewer international visitors to the U.S. in 2017, but the U.S. outbound travel forecast is much brighter.
The number of foreign trips by U.S. travelers is expected to grow 5.4 percent in 2017, according to a new World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oxford Economic’s 2017 economic impact report released this week. Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Mediterranean destinations in Europe will likely benefit from this strong growth in U.S. outbound travel, the report said.
Travel and tourism growth for North and South America grew 2.4 percent last year and was hurt by weak inbound travel demand to the U.S. but helped by U.S. outbound travel growth. The Americas’ growth for 2016 was higher than Europe (2.0 percent) and the report states that despite a 15 percent drop in the UK pound following the Brexit vote there is little evidence of an inbound travel boost to the UK last year. Any impact on tourism from a weaker pound will likely be felt this year, the report said.
(Via: https://skift.com/2017/03/21/u-s-tourists-headed-abroad-are-a-bright-spot-for-international-travel/)
While average Americans seem to be unaffected and will likely pursue their travel goals, companies are expected to cut down on business travels – especially international trips – after the issuance of the various travel bans. So, multinational companies with offices in different parts of the globe will probably refrain from sending their employees to their U.S. offices for the time being.
Alexandria, Va.-based Global Business Travel Association, which represents the business travel industry worldwide, said today that nearly four in 10 (37 percent) of U.S. business travel professionals expect some level of reduction in their company’s travel because of the revised executive order. Even more European travel professionals feel this way, with 47 percent expecting some in business travel for their company. Additionally, 17 percent of European travel professionals report that their company has already cancelled business travel to the United States because of the executive orders issued. GBTA polled its U.S. and European members this week to assess the business travel impact of President Trump’s revised executive order on travel.
Thirty-eight percent of European business travel professionals said their company’s would be less willing to send business travelers to the United States in the future because of the executive order, and 45 percent indicated their company will be less willing to plan future meetings and events in the United States.
(Via: http://www.specialevents.com/news/companies-expect-reduced-international-travel-due-trump-bans)
These travel bans surely have elicited mixed reactions from the crowd and since nobody can really tell what President Trump got right up his sleeves in the future, many are on their toes as they anxiously wait for his plans to unfold in the coming days.
However, while things aren’t as bad when it comes to international travel, U.S. tourism may suffer from fewer tourists flocking into the country.
The U.S. Travel Association on Thursday said the Trump administration’s immigration policies are hurting tourism.
The nonprofit industry organization said in a statement that there are “mounting signs” of “a broad chilling effect on demand for international travel to the United States.”
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters disputed the contention, saying: “It takes several months for each month’s international arrival statistics to be processed and released to the public. To claim the executive order has had an impact on travel would be premature.”
But 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.
And they even have a name for it:
“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 U.S.,” resulting in “a sharp drop in foreign tourism to our nation that imperils jobs and touristic income.”
President Trump designed the travel ban as a protective measure to uphold the safety and security of the Americans from possible terrorists. However, such a move resulted in a myriad of implications that have a small or big impact on the country’s economy as a whole. Now, let’s see how the Trump administration cleans up their mess and help the country recover from the slump it is currently in.