Frommers: "Foreign travel slump"

[Silverspoon]

I am posting this article in spite of its connection to politics/government because the article is written by a respected travel source and it contains statistics that directly impact our businesses. Please do not read the article if you are avoiding all references to government. I apologize in advance if you feel I have crossed the "no politics" line for posting on the forum. It is not my intention to offend...or to promote one ideology over another.
http://www.frommers.com/tips/miscellaneous/the-travel-press-is-reporting-the-trump-slump-a-devastating-drop-in-tourism-to-the-united-states#

 

[GoodScout]

Sorry you have to be so gun-shy. Anyone who thinks what happens in Washington now, in the past, or in the future doesn't affect our industry is ostriching.
Thanks for the link!

 

[Jcam]

with the UK traveling to the USA its the slump of the pound against the dollar - makes it more expensive to go
its that simple - foreign travel to anywhere from the UK is down due to this

 

[Morticia]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time.

 

[gillumhouse]

I am "business as usual" for this tome of year. Actually have a reservation for tomorrow. I do not get a lot of advance reservations. I do not worry about lack of reservations because my Mom always said - "The Lord will provide". (Not meant as a comment on religion - all I know is that it works for me) We have to live somewhere and we manage to have enough to pay the bills. I am satisfied with enough. I am from West Virginia, we don't need much.

 

[Momma Smurf]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.

 

[Morticia]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.
.

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.

The majority of our seasonal bookings right now are repeats.
Apparently, the entire state is on a boycott list. Not sure if that has an impact. But there's a big boycott of the folks down the street, which might impact some travel as well as retail numbers.

 

[Momma Smurf]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.
.

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.

The majority of our seasonal bookings right now are repeats.
Apparently, the entire state is on a boycott list. Not sure if that has an impact. But there's a big boycott of the folks down the street, which might impact some travel as well as retail numbers.
.

What? Boycott why? I know about the place down the street, but the entire state?

 

[Silverspoon]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

I wondered if that boycott would affect you. Sorry to hear that it may have. Since we have cut back to a seasonal schedule it's difficult for me to judge any effect. We usually do quite well booking our southern guests once the temperature starts to rise. I am a bit nervous that politics will get in the way since we live in a blue region. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

 

[happykeeper]

I did take the time to read Arthur's report and it does appear that there may be a deepening divide for travelers. The islands are less impacted to the extent that it is a world wide destination that has its own identity, but we are seeing a drop in summer visitors, which often favors a foreign market. It is possible that we may face an actual downturn. That hasn't happened here for quite some time.
I would say that it has impacted us personally and we are less likely to travel to places where we may not feel welcome. That's not a commentary on the current status. It's just human nature. So if that is happening with other people, it wouldn't be surprising to see a wide range of impact to tourism markets across the U.S.

 

[Morticia]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.
.

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.

The majority of our seasonal bookings right now are repeats.
Apparently, the entire state is on a boycott list. Not sure if that has an impact. But there's a big boycott of the folks down the street, which might impact some travel as well as retail numbers.
.

What? Boycott why? I know about the place down the street, but the entire state?
.

What? Boycott why? I know about the place down the street, but the entire state?

Yup, whole state. Mostly due to comments about women, minorities, poor people made by the gov.

 

[Morticia]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

I wondered if that boycott would affect you. Sorry to hear that it may have. Since we have cut back to a seasonal schedule it's difficult for me to judge any effect. We usually do quite well booking our southern guests once the temperature starts to rise. I am a bit nervous that politics will get in the way since we live in a blue region. Guess we will just have to wait and see.
.

I am a bit nervous that politics will get in the way since we live in a blue region. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

I have never seen this as a problem. Then again, we don't spend a lot of time figuring out where the guests are coming from in re their possible political beliefs. The one 'place' they don't come from is west of the Mississippi and east of the Rockies.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

I've noticed a slump, period. It's gorgeous weather here for folks who like to shop. No reservations to speak of for the next 6 weeks. 1 room for the entire month of March. That will likely change as we get closer to the weekends. But if this is the shape of the future, I'm taking 4 months off instead of 6 weeks! I could see opening for 3 weeks in Feb for Valentine's and President's Day, but that's it.
We're getting new carpet installed in March and I can knock off a few more projects at the same time..

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.
.

Our February has been about par with past years, however reservations for May to October are way behind. 16 nights booked in March which matches most years or is above. The lack of high season reservations IS causing me to lose sleep. Our closet competitors are no better off.

The majority of our seasonal bookings right now are repeats.
Apparently, the entire state is on a boycott list. Not sure if that has an impact. But there's a big boycott of the folks down the street, which might impact some travel as well as retail numbers.
.

What? Boycott why? I know about the place down the street, but the entire state?
.

What? Boycott why? I know about the place down the street, but the entire state?

Yup, whole state. Mostly due to comments about women, minorities, poor people made by the gov.
.

Punish the businesses for the stupid words of an out of touch fat cat azzwhl???
Sure, that is how we progress.

 

[GoodScout]

The slump has mainly hurt our visitors from Canada. We got hit 8 years ago when the US suddenly required passports to enter. Then the drop in the Canadian dollar two years hurt again.
But we've had a severe drop-off this year equal to the hit of both of those events, despite having great snow this season. What Canadian guests have come have been quite blunt with us: They feel that they are suddenly less welcome in the U.S. than they were previously, and there's a slight sense of fear about how they'll be treated at the border crossings.
It's real. And it's dangerous. And it's going to start costing jobs real soon.

 

[Momma Smurf]

The slump has mainly hurt our visitors from Canada. We got hit 8 years ago when the US suddenly required passports to enter. Then the drop in the Canadian dollar two years hurt again.
But we've had a severe drop-off this year equal to the hit of both of those events, despite having great snow this season. What Canadian guests have come have been quite blunt with us: They feel that they are suddenly less welcome in the U.S. than they were previously, and there's a slight sense of fear about how they'll be treated at the border crossings.
It's real. And it's dangerous. And it's going to start costing jobs real soon..

And yet another Slump report! http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/trump-slump-hits-tourism-in-the-us-and-the-berkshires,499584
"It's more than Germany," said Truedsson, a native of Sweden. "I think it's 46 percent of Europe. There will just be fewer people buying tickets to the U.S. because of all the turmoil. There is a tremendous amount of concern and worry in Europe. Tourism has gone down already."

 

[happykeeper]

The slump has mainly hurt our visitors from Canada. We got hit 8 years ago when the US suddenly required passports to enter. Then the drop in the Canadian dollar two years hurt again.
But we've had a severe drop-off this year equal to the hit of both of those events, despite having great snow this season. What Canadian guests have come have been quite blunt with us: They feel that they are suddenly less welcome in the U.S. than they were previously, and there's a slight sense of fear about how they'll be treated at the border crossings.
It's real. And it's dangerous. And it's going to start costing jobs real soon..

And yet another Slump report! http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/trump-slump-hits-tourism-in-the-us-and-the-berkshires,499584
"It's more than Germany," said Truedsson, a native of Sweden. "I think it's 46 percent of Europe. There will just be fewer people buying tickets to the U.S. because of all the turmoil. There is a tremendous amount of concern and worry in Europe. Tourism has gone down already."
.

both articles include this...
"If the Trump Slump continues to hamper foreign tourism at the same magnitude, the loss of foreign travel dollars in the United States could come to billions of dollars, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs in the domestic tourism industry at risk."
that is a major impact and it has me paying more attention suddenly.

 

[Bommelhoeve]

As a foreigner - yes I would defer my plans to go to the usa for a year or so and see what unfolds. No problem, there are many countries to avoid and plenty left.
The last thing you want as a tourist is to find that the visa permit you acquired months before is suddenly withdrawn at the border, leaving you stranded at the airport and losing your vacation time, tickets and B&B cancellation fees. Also, nobody looks forward to an immigration officer going through their social media and emails especially with the family waiting alongside after a long flight.
But it will pass, a temporary slump at most, unless tourist are truly not welcome anymore in the USA. Hopefully many americans will support you by taking their vacations in the USA instead of spending their dollars in asia and europe.
Trust this is not seen as political or raising social media flags when I want to visit your country again.........

 

[gillumhouse]

As a foreigner - yes I would defer my plans to go to the usa for a year or so and see what unfolds. No problem, there are many countries to avoid and plenty left.
The last thing you want as a tourist is to find that the visa permit you acquired months before is suddenly withdrawn at the border, leaving you stranded at the airport and losing your vacation time, tickets and B&B cancellation fees. Also, nobody looks forward to an immigration officer going through their social media and emails especially with the family waiting alongside after a long flight.
But it will pass, a temporary slump at most, unless tourist are truly not welcome anymore in the USA. Hopefully many americans will support you by taking their vacations in the USA instead of spending their dollars in asia and europe.
Trust this is not seen as political or raising social media flags when I want to visit your country again..........

And there is currently enough unrest in the rest of the world right now to make people think twice about travelling anywhere. Many countries are having problems with terror activities, riots, and protests that are not very peaceful - from the videos I have seen. It is not just a USA problem and not any particular political problem.

 

[happykeeper]

As a foreigner - yes I would defer my plans to go to the usa for a year or so and see what unfolds. No problem, there are many countries to avoid and plenty left.
The last thing you want as a tourist is to find that the visa permit you acquired months before is suddenly withdrawn at the border, leaving you stranded at the airport and losing your vacation time, tickets and B&B cancellation fees. Also, nobody looks forward to an immigration officer going through their social media and emails especially with the family waiting alongside after a long flight.
But it will pass, a temporary slump at most, unless tourist are truly not welcome anymore in the USA. Hopefully many americans will support you by taking their vacations in the USA instead of spending their dollars in asia and europe.
Trust this is not seen as political or raising social media flags when I want to visit your country again..........

Hopefully many americans will support you by taking their vacations in the USA instead of spending their dollars in asia and europe.

That's the interesting part. It seems highly unlikely that Americans will fill the void left by foreign visitors. Asia and Europe continue to be attractive destinations that have become, in many cases, more affordable.

 

[Lee2014]

I'm the odd one out. We have been trying to enjoy "the off season" by relaxing and remodeling a bedroom. It hasn't worked. We keep going and blocking the room further in and upgrading those that requested it prior... Since January first we have had only one weekend with no guests. This weekend I went south to celebrate my dad's big birthday. I was supposed to go Tuesday but due to rooms booked last minute I finally put my hand down on the counter on Thursday and said, "I'm leaving Friday morning!" My aunt sure was glad to see me on Monday evening. Totally unusual for us and my uncle (who run it for 20 plus years) took to closing it for three to four months the last three or so winter he ran it due to not enough people coming to keep it open, plowed out, decorated, etc.