Despite its grandeur that often graces global headlines, the reputation of the United States (US) is now increasingly tarnished with the tourism sector that has long been the pride of the country on the verge of collapse.
According to the Tourism Economics report, the US tourism industry is expected to lose more than $64 billion this year, a direct result of increasingly strict immigration policies and President Donald Trump's increasingly heated and divisive political rhetoric.
Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to decline by 8.7%, with tourists from China plunging 11%, reflecting growing concerns about the political and security climate in the US.
Canada, the largest contributor to the US tourism sector, also recorded a significant decline. Land tourism from the neighboring country fell 23%, contributing to a loss of more than $3 billion in the industry.
The situation in Europe is making matters worse.
Several German tourists have claimed to have been detained, stripped and held in solitary confinement while trying to enter the US, sparking an official investigation by the German government into three cases involving its citizens under the ESTA visa waiver system.
The tourism slump doesn’t stop there. The US retail sector is also starting to feel the heat as more and more overseas consumers boycott US products — choosing to buy local in response to the Trump administration’s tariff policies and diplomatic tensions.
America may be the talk of the town on TV, but what about the reality? The world is increasingly turning away from its ‘main stars’ and this is proof that the economic landscape is constantly changing.
