Donald Trump hasn’t been president for long, but he’s
already had a drastic impact on how the United States is perceived around the
world. The top three tourist destinations in the world are Spain, France, and
the USA. It sometimes feels like they take turns being the most popular
destination each year. Even though there will always be some argument about
tourism and visits, there’s a lot of data already suggesting Spain could become the most visited country of 2017.
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| Looking like another record breaking year for Spain |
There is a tight margin however. There’s a lot of
undocumented overland travel in France as drivers constantly skim the northern
corner of the country and pass through France on their way to the UK, Germany
and Belgium. It’s a little easier to keep track of who comes in and out of
Spain thanks to the its place in the southwest of Europe.
Then there is the issue of the United States. The US is no
doubt the largest country out of all three, with carefully controlled tourism.
The country has very strict border patrol forces that are not about let a few
thousand people pass through here and there.
There are some years where the USA is the most visited
country in the world. Even if it doesn’t take the top spot, there is only a
minor amount of fluctuation. This could all be about to change.
President Donald Trump has spent much of his presidency,
fresh as it is, being vocal. His harsh rhetoric and his travel bans have scared
some tourists away from the country. Airline analyst Hopper has revealed data
that shows there has been a 6.5% drop in airline bookings to the USA since
Trump assumed office, while there are 17% less searches for flights to the
country.
The drops were seen in most major countries in the world
with one peculiar exception; there was actually an 88% increase in enquiries
from Russia.
The figures that Hopper have would seem to match those of
Spanish travel research company ForwardKeys and British tour operator
Responsible Travel, which have recorded 22% decreases in inquiries about US
holidays following the appointment of President Trump.
ForwardKeys CEO Olivier Jager says that the data suggests
the Trump travel Ban has caused a significant drop in the amount of people
looking to travel to the USA and it’s had an immediate effect on travel in the
future, which is bad news for the American economy.
Even though it’s bad news for the US, it could be good news
for Spain. While the US welcomes a wide range of tourists, many of the people
travelling to the country are looking to hit Florida for plenty of sun, sea,
and sand. If they don’t find the USA as appealing as they did before, thenSpain could easily become a great replacement as it offers families the same
great weather and beaches they would get from the States, along with much more.
