US Travel Industry Braces For Reported Declines Amid Trump Ban
- 7 years ago
The travel industry in the U.S. is bracing for forthcoming declines in business as reports emerge of a drop in international airline bookings to the country over perceptions about President Trump’s restrictive travel policies.
The travel industry in the U.S. is bracing for forthcoming declines in business as reports emerge of a drop in international airline bookings to the country over perceptions about President Trump’s restrictive travel policies, reports CNN Money.
In response, some hotels and city tourism officials in the U.S. have reportedly embarked on campaigns to woo potentially reluctant foreign visitors.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Executives at Aqua-Aston Hospitality, a Hawaii firm that manages more than 50 hotel and timeshare properties, said the heightened political rhetoric around immigration over the past few months prompted the company to launch a new ‘tolerance, equality and diversity’ campaign…”
The Journal also says that Standard International, the group behind the Standard and Bunkhouse hotels, has decided to promote a message which chief executive Amar Lalvani describes as “positive and productive activism.”
He is quoted as saying, “We’re laying out the foundation of our values, which is that we would love our country to be a hospitable place.”
Meanwhile, New York City’s tourism arm, NYC & Company, is launching a new $3 million campaign called “New York City – Welcoming the World” which the Times Ledger says “will target major sources of international tourist, including the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, and Spain.”
The news outlet adds, “The goal of the campaign is to reassure international travelers who may feel anxious about traveling to the United States and ensure them that New York City’s values remain the same and all are welcome.”
These moves are being made in response to declines in travel indicators; travel analysis company Forward Keys has said, “International trends in bookings to the U.S. are down 6.5 percent compared with the equivalent period the year before. Trump's travel ban is putting off people traveling to the U.S. from many regions of the world, beyond the Middle East.”
Nevertheless, some hotel executives have downplayed the effect Trump is having on their business; during a recent call with analysts, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson indicated that there have been some anecdotal stories of groups deciding not to come to the U.S., but overall, he said that he and others at the company don't think the executive order is "a massive deal.”
The travel industry in the U.S. is bracing for forthcoming declines in business as reports emerge of a drop in international airline bookings to the country over perceptions about President Trump’s restrictive travel policies, reports CNN Money.
In response, some hotels and city tourism officials in the U.S. have reportedly embarked on campaigns to woo potentially reluctant foreign visitors.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Executives at Aqua-Aston Hospitality, a Hawaii firm that manages more than 50 hotel and timeshare properties, said the heightened political rhetoric around immigration over the past few months prompted the company to launch a new ‘tolerance, equality and diversity’ campaign…”
The Journal also says that Standard International, the group behind the Standard and Bunkhouse hotels, has decided to promote a message which chief executive Amar Lalvani describes as “positive and productive activism.”
He is quoted as saying, “We’re laying out the foundation of our values, which is that we would love our country to be a hospitable place.”
Meanwhile, New York City’s tourism arm, NYC & Company, is launching a new $3 million campaign called “New York City – Welcoming the World” which the Times Ledger says “will target major sources of international tourist, including the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, and Spain.”
The news outlet adds, “The goal of the campaign is to reassure international travelers who may feel anxious about traveling to the United States and ensure them that New York City’s values remain the same and all are welcome.”
These moves are being made in response to declines in travel indicators; travel analysis company Forward Keys has said, “International trends in bookings to the U.S. are down 6.5 percent compared with the equivalent period the year before. Trump's travel ban is putting off people traveling to the U.S. from many regions of the world, beyond the Middle East.”
Nevertheless, some hotel executives have downplayed the effect Trump is having on their business; during a recent call with analysts, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson indicated that there have been some anecdotal stories of groups deciding not to come to the U.S., but overall, he said that he and others at the company don't think the executive order is "a massive deal.”