While I'm sure there are lots of people eager to get the jobs Donald Trump has promised to return to America, the "American First" rhetoric, travel bans, and widespread stories of visitors to the US being detained, harassed by Customs, and sometimes sent back home, is already having an effect on the tourism industry — and, of course, the jobs and revenue that come with it.
'An economic consulting firm that has crunched the numbers from various airline and travel booking websites projects that the U.S. will lose 6.3 million visits by the end of next year, which translates into $10.8 billion in spending. What the firm, Tourism Economics of Wayne, Pa., is calling “Trump-induced losses” could affect an estimated 90,000 Americans whose jobs are directly or indirectly dependent on tourism.
“It doesn’t take very much uncertainty or antipathy to influence decisions away from a given travel destination,” said Adam Sacks, the firm’s president. “Ultimately, destinations and companies are in the business of building a brand and a message that is welcoming .… All the ‘America first’ rhetoric in various policy areas like trade, diplomacy and immigration is conveying the exact opposite.’’
Among the cities that stand to lose the most are New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. New York expects to lose 300,000 foreign tourists this year, a big worry because it is foreigners who drop the big money, spending about four times as much as domestic tourists, according to officials.'
While some Trumpists may not shed any tears for "big city" workers who lose their jobs, there's a lot of small-town tourism trade, especially near larger tourist draws like national parks, that will also likely be impacted.
But, hey, it's all about keeping us safe from … um … someone in way that … uh … wouldn't have stopped any terror attacks that have already happened. Yay!
The Trump slump? Tourists say they’re scared to visit the United States
Well-publicized incidents at airports and borders are scaring off travelers to the United States.
