Tourists scared to visit the United States

[struggle4progress]

Barbara Demick

During spring break, Canadian families used to pile the kids into a tour bus and head to New York to see the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center and other attractions. It was the start of the busy season for Comfort Tour, a Toronto-based firm that usually brought between 200 and 300 tourists to New York in March.

This year, 11 people have signed up for the tours.

“Even white, Anglo-Saxon people, who are most of our customers, they are afraid of crossing the border,” lamented Al Qanun, manager and part-owner of the travel agency. “They don’t want to end up in some prison” ...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-travel-slump-2017-story.html

[ret5hd]

1. How many jobs will this hot mess "create"???

[LoisB]

32. Millions if you use 45-math.

[Initech]

33. Zero. Less than zero.

[marybourg]

2. At our ACLU training yesterday, a woman

told us that her pre-teen adopted children have elected to stay in their war-torn, unstable African homeland with only her husband, rather than come to live with the two of them in the U.S. as had been previously planned.

[GoCubsGo]

3. I'm surprised the gun violence hasn't scared them off before now.

Can't say I blame them either way.

[dawg]

4. The "Trump Slump".

It could be even more noticeable by summertime.

[kimbutgar]

12. When Disney and a Universal have less revenues and blame it on the travel ban

Will chump blame Obama?

[dawg]

17. I don't know, but I sold my Disney stock just in case.

I don't generally let my politics dictate my investments, but I already had a nice gain and I didn't think it made any sense to ignore the potential "Trump" risk to the company.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Well, "politics" is actually a good reason to figure out the impact of some stocks

and other revenue sensitive sectors....housing... things we import (example: News item that Mexico has stopped exporting sugar to us because the USA office which has to do the paperwork at our end,
is empty, thanks to Trump).
A few minutes sit down and think can identify a lot of ways he is hurting the economy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. I sold some airline stock for the same reason.

I expect international travel to take a hard hit this year.

[Kimchijeon]

5. I can't blame them.

On the other hand, I imagine it is tougher than ever to even visit Canada, too many people want to flee the US and just stay in Canada by hook or by crook. Can't blame them for trying.

[Warpy]

6. I post on a lot of international sites

and I've told them the chances of running into a raging bully at Customs are small if they're not brown, but that bringing burner phones instead of the ones all their personal data are on would be a sensible precaution because a lot of Customs officials are profiling normal people to make sure those mean old gays aren't getting into the country and refusing entry for a host of other things that aren't illegal, based on what's on their phones or laptops.

I can't imagine what tourist traps are going to do in August, which is the month I've heard the most foreign language speakers at places like Cape Cod and Disney World. A lot of them will be semi deserted and yes, I also know northern Europeans who are now afraid to come here.

I can't say I blame any of them.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Yes and people within DHS are

very aware of this. Comment from a family member is this,the Bullies are running the show and if we challenge their orders,kiss your ass good bye.

[warmfeet]

15. We all best challenge

what is going on. The bullies only understand confrontation. It's time to confront.

[Wellstone ruled]

23. Top it off with,

pay freeze and most have not received their back pay.

[warmfeet]

24. I see that you were a teamster.

I have always held the teamsters, and all unions, in very high regard. My father was the vice president of his local union for many years. Also, I have to say that Paul Wellstone was, and is, one of my heroes. Many of us have had pay freezes. Many of us will never see a dime of back pay. We must work together, or many of us will not survive.

[Wellstone ruled]

27. Member of the

Local Exec Board . And yes Paul was all that his Bio said he was. Had to live thru Nixon's Wage Freeze as well as another one during Reagan. As you said,what back pay.

[DFW]

19. We travel to Cape Cod every year, and we live in Germany

It'll be interesting to see if there is a drop in European visitors, although the vast majority of visitors are from the northeast of the USA or Quebec. What they do have is a vast program of work-visits for students from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. At the Stop & Shop supermarket in Provincetown, you almost never hear an American accent. I always end up chatting with the cashiers in Russian, Serbian, Turkish, or trying out my few words of Bulgarian, Lithuanian, or Romanian (I get great smiles at the cashiers there!).

The same goes for almost the whole lower Cape. Waiters and receptionists at restaurants and bars in Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown are almost always from these countries. These young people get paid slave wages, but get a chance to spend the summer practicing their English in one of the coolest parts of the USA where no one ever gives them any shit about being foreign, no matter where they come from. I wonder if there will be a drop in this program, and I wonder if immigration will harass them upon entry?

[ladym55]

35. I've wondered the same thing

We spend time in on the lower Cape ourselves every year and enjoy meeting all the students from everywhere. One of the issues will be if the fools in the Trumpster administration permit the work visas these students need to come. Many of the businesses will struggle to cover their hours if these students aren't permitted to come.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Point of view from traveling INSIDE the country...

Part of the reason we took early retirement and moved out of a big city was the Patriot Act..
it was pretty clear things could only get more repressive, even with out imagining Twitler.
I refused to fly when TSA started.
I could have that option, I know others can't, which is really a shame, since if we had all stopped flying for a month the airlines would have got a strong message.
As you say--below...time to confront.
Each step they take which is NOT confronted, makes it all that harder down the road.
And children are now being trained to accept that invasion, they will have no memory of 'before".


So TSA started showing up at bus stations..
and much more often "traffic checks" even on the freeways across the country, plus MORE checks on the 2 lane roads, at least here in the South where we drive.
Then the laws down here that forced carrying "papers" to prove you were a "good American".

I got "traffic checked" after that law went into effect here in Ala. and noticed I,a white woman, was not asked to step out of my car, but the dark skinned males in the same pull over lane were, in several cars.

It's been 15 years since Patriot Act ( which was conveniently already written and ready to vote on, did anyone notice???)
enough time for kids born back then to have no memories of freedom in traveling.

[sheshe2]

8. Not surprising in the least.

Nor can I blame them. Don and team are really screwing America.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. I bet.

[yuiyoshida]

10. Why this Bay Area city will have 1 million fewer tourists over the next few years

The report from this year's Economic and Tourism Forum put on by SF Travel was no surprise: The economy is red hot and has grown every year since 2008.

But this year, that message came with a warning for those in the tourism and hospitality industry: Don't expect the same in 2017.

"Achieving a positive rate growth in 2017 will be really challenging," said Nicole Halmer, senior director of SF Travel's newly formed research and market strategy department, which is focused on forecasting future growth.

That's because Moscone Center is undergoing a $500 million expansion that will close a large portion of San Francisco's biggest convention center through 2018, leading to the loss of 290,000 visitors in 2017, according to SFTravel. Others predict up to one million fewer visitors in 2017 and 2018 combined. SFTravel is forecasting the loss of up to 490,000 room nights over two years, a huge blow to the city's economy.

In the end, the renovation will increase the usable event space more than 25 percent and will eventually help fill more hotel rooms and restaurant seats in San Francisco. But in the meantime, businesses will have to make up for that lost revenue.

more..
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2016/09/29/tourism-decline-forecast-2017-moscone-center.html

[marlakay]

22. I got tickets to see Hamilton in July

In SF so I'll let you know how many tourists are around.

Looking forward to it on my bday.

[ffr]

11. Well Donald just swiped away approx $1.5T in tourism dollars.

Statistics and facts on the travel and tourism industry in the U.S.

The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest industries in the United States, making a total contribution of 1.47 trillion U.S. dollars to GDP in 2014. The industry was forecasted to contribute more than 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars by 2025.

https://www.statista.com/topics/1987/travel-and-tourism-industry-in-the-us/

That should affect trickle down at all, right? I mean, we can get along just great without $1.5T worth of extra dollars coming into our country via tourism dollars.

[mdbl]

13. Hell, I don't want to tour our country

and I have lived here all my life. This place is F'ing scary now.

[NanceGreggs]

14. I live in Toronto ...

... and many of my Canadian friends have cancelled plans to visit the States.

First, they do not want to deal with possible hassles at the border. Secondly, they are aware of the tensions that currently exist due to the political climate and given lax gun laws in the US, they are afraid of the possibility of being "caught in the crossfire" while eating at a restaurant, shopping at a mall, or in a road rage incident.

It's not like they're shaking in terror; it's simply a matter of why go to the States under the present circumstances when there are plenty of other places to vacation that don't present any hassles or possible safety issues.

I've not seen any stats yet, but I imagine that cities like Buffalo and Detroit, which have traditionally benefited financially from cross-border shopping, are feeling the pinch. I assume this will also have an impact on US cities that usually draw Canadians for concerts and sports events.

It has always been commonplace for people in Toronto and environs to drive to Buffalo for dinner at a favourite restaurant there, or to stock-up on groceries they see advertised as on sale by Buffalo supermarkets. Being hassled at the border is now considered not worth the trip for half-off wings at the pub, or pork chops selling for 99 cents a pound less than the usual price.

I believe that Americans who rely on tourist traffic full-stop will see a sharp decline of visitors not only from Canada, but from all over. Again, why face possible hassles when the world is full of great vacation destinations?

In addition, I've heard many Canadians here say that they won't spend their vacation or shopping dollars
in a country that, as evidenced by the election of Trump, is now seen as supporting racism, bigotry, misogyny, and anti-Muslim/anti-Semitic positions. They are, in effect, boycotting a nation they feel represents things they find abhorrent.

Keep in mind that we are less than two months into a Trump administration. It isn't rocket science to predict that this situation will become increasingly worse as time goes on, and its consequences will be far more apparent in the months to come.

[ffr]

16. And: U.S. slips to seventh best country in the world after Trump election, Switzerland tops the list

Can you say job losses once businesses find there are fewer dollars coming in.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/07/us-slips-seventh-best-country-world-after-trump-election-switzerland-tops-list/98816470/

Also, fewer dollars coming in, means a higher probability of growing trade deficits.

[progressoid]

29. "75% said they lost some respect for U.S. leadership after the 2016 presidential election"

Hell, I lost a LOT of respect for the US and I live here.

[czarjak]

18. Our son has lived in Japan for seven years...

His friends and employers were receptive to visiting someday. No longer interested. Sad!

[gordianot]

20. The first place for any tourist to avoid is any Trump venue.

Hotel, golf courses, casinos, massage parlors, escort services, all rental property, real estate, anywhere on the Planet. Include anything branded Trump. I would also be wary of all American air lines and cruise carriers definitely not safe.

[GP6971]

26. Can't blame them

I wouldn't visit if I were them.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. A leading indicator of the Trump Slump. It'll take a while but the economy is fighting a headwind.

tRump's whole ambitious project is based on growth predictions of 3.2 % over a period of 5 years. That would be astounding during any Presidential administration, but the Minority President is not equipped to rally the nation or inspire.

The economy is a massive ship that takes a long time to turn around, but I don't think you'll see much better than February & March & maybe April. In any case, those months are really due to Obama, just like the massive deficit Obama had to incur was a direct result of Bush's failed economy.

John Kenneth Galbraith, himself an esteemed economist, said that "If all else fails, immortality can always be achieved by spectacular error." That is tRump's fate, sad to have to say; sad because there will be much damage to people. The "American carnage" that is the take-away from the Minority President's Inaugural Address is the carnage he is creating.

[Nay]

37. It will take about a year, I expect -- most tourists arriving now have had reservations

for many months or even a year, esp in popular destinations like Florida, California, and New York. Next year though? I look for the bottom to drop out of tourism.

[bunnies]

38. Not for us up north.

We, in New England, get a huge number of Canadian tourists that pop down on a whim. Being only a few hours drive and all, there's no need to plan that far ahead. I've no doubt that we will start seeing the Trump slump beginning in a few short months.

[Ilsa]

31. San Antonio Texas was always a big shopping mecca for

Mexicans living close to the Rio Grande River. They drive across, go to SA, shop, dine, vacation, stay 2-4 days, go home. I wonder how much of that has stopped in the last two months?

[pandr32]

34. Probably a reason Hawaii is refusing to enact it and is suing

The tourist industry is the number one industry here. Tourists come from all over the world. A travel ban here could depress the whole state.
Besides, it is a very blue state, but there are some surprising Trump supporters with brown skin

[elmac]

36. I would not come to this F'd up country

and would warn anyone overseas that its is very, very dangerous here. If I could, I would leave and never come back.