The directive could become another factor contributing to what US Travel has said is the nation's growing loss of share of the global long-haul travel market and another way that government is hurting rather than facilitating inbound travel.
Customs and Border Protection's directive this month to reassign agents from some US airports to the Mexican border is adding to concerns about headwinds for inbound travel to the United States.
Tori Barnes, the US Travel Association's executive vice president for public affairs and policy, urged Customs and Border Protection to keep entry points "appropriately staffed and effectively secured”, warning that "travel is trade, and the US economy and jobs base enjoy many billions of dollars in beneficial impact from legitimate international business and leisure visitors to the United States”.
The directive could become another factor contributing to what US Travel has said is the nation's growing loss of share of the global long-haul travel market and another way that government is hurting rather than facilitating inbound travel.
Moderating a panel at the World Travel & Tourism Council's Global Summit in Spain earlier this month, US Travel CEO Roger Dow said travel to other countries was growing "at a much more rapid pace" than to the U.S. He also noted that in 2013 the U.S. had a 13.7% share of the global travel market, which fell to 11.7% last year.
"Two per cent might not sound like a big deal, but that means 14 million travellers we could or should have had and 120,000 US jobs," Dow said.
Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta was one of several panellists who advocated for the importance of Brand USA. Congress is tasked with reauthorising and restoring funding to the public-private marketing arm, which expires in 2020.
"Brand USA is critically important, even for us," she said referring to California, which has the nation's largest tourism marketing budget. "Nobody shows up at a party they are not invited to, and it's the same for our inbound international guests."
Issues surrounding the political rhetoric that has come from the Trump administration, which at times has taken on a nationalist tone, were also discussed.
"I do think the political rhetoric hurts," said Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group. He also said the strong dollar was having an impact on inbound travel, an assertion with which other panellists agreed.
"The dollar has had a massive impact," said Amanda Hills, president of Hills Balfour, a UK-based travel public relations agency. "Ten years ago, shopping was the No. 1 reason people went to the US."
However, Hills also said that she does not think US politics has had any measurable impact from what she's heard.
"I firmly believe that tourism transcends politics," she said. "People are going there to see the people and the culture. America markets itself on the welcome."
The panellists all seemed to agree that the US could help visitation by easing visa policies. US Travel has long been advocating that more countries be added to the Visa Waiver Programme, including Brazil, Israel and Poland.
Citing the success of South Korea, which went from 450,000 visitors to 800,000 in one year after being added to the programme, Dow said, "there'd be another million Brazilians overnight”, if that country was added.
"With travel, when you hit a barrier, it goes somewhere else," he said. "Every interaction has to be as smooth and seamless as possible."
Beteta agreed, saying that California benefitted greatly from South Korea's inclusion, with visitors from there increasing by 50% "overnight”.
"I couldn't spend US$20 million in South Korea and get that kind of bounce," she said. "It's important that we look at government as a partner and a channel."
Source: Travel Weekly USA