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| Donald Trump and Gun Violence in US seen as main culprits |
It's a worrying trend for the travel and retail industries. International travelers tend to stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts.
In the first seven months of 2017, the U.S. took in 41 million international visitors, a 4 percent decline from the year-earlier period, according to the Commerce Department. That follows a more than 2 percent drop a year earlier.
It's a worrying trend for the travel and retail industries. International travelers tend to stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts.
Tourism and retail industry leaders recently launched the Visit U.S. Coalition, which wants backing from the Trump administration to help stem the decline. The coalition was founded by U.S. Travel, a lobbying group whose members include Marriott International and Macy's.
"Fewer visitors means fewer hotel stays, fewer meals eaten in our restaurants, fewer goods purchased in our retail stores, and fewer visits to our national attractions. It also means fewer American jobs and a loss to our economy," said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a coalition member. "We are committed to working together with the Administration to balance a welcome message with strong security to ensure we don't fall behind to other countries."
Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel, called some of President Donald Trump's rhetoric "not helpful" but stopped short of blaming him or his policies for the drop directly. Dow pointed to a strong dollar and competition from other nations
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Note EU-Digest: Many experts in the travel industry are blaming the decline on Donald Trump's continuous nationalistic remarks and hostility towards immigrants, and the increasing gun violence in America by local terrorists.
EU-Digest
