Americans – too embarrassed to go abroad. Everyone else – too afraid to come to America.
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I can’t speak for other parts of America, but fewer tourism dollars would certainly increase local cases of Winning Fatigue Syndrome.
The US tourism business is in trouble — and President Trump may be to blame.
America’s share of international tourism has dropped 16% in March, compared to the same month in 2016, according to Foursquare data released Wednesday.
The decline began in October 2016, the month before the presidential election. From October to March, tourism-related traffic has fallen an average of 11% in the US, compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, tourism in the rest of the world has increased 6% year-over-year during the same period.
Foursquare a location intelligence company best known for its app that tracks user visits to restaurants, bars, hotels, and other sites, as well as the company’s work in analytics, advertising and developer solutions.
Foursquare analysts connected the drop to President Trump’s America first rhetoric and policies that have made some international tourists wary of visiting the US. Foursquare CEO Jeff Glueck notes that residents from the Middle East and Central/South America — regions for which Trump has encouraged stricter immigration and travel policies — have been avoiding the US more than residents of Asia, Europe, and other regions.
Really, this is just the best news for people who live in the DMV (D.C./Md./Va.) or any place else that relies on tourists’ cash. And at least around here large scale protests might make up for some of the lost revenue.
Of course, correlation /= causation, and this is data from one company. It would be irresponsible to say that the Orange Horror is definitely frightening tourists way.
It could be that people are staying away out of fear they’ll be harassed or harmed by red-faced thug in a MAGA hat.
