The number of European tourists in the USA broke down in March compared to the previous year – and that on those flight routes that are among the most profitable for Airlines worldwide.
Sea Data from the US trade authority International Trade Administration (ITA) Sank the number of visitors from Western Europe, which spent at least one night in the United States, by 17 percent, writes the British Financial Times.
The reasons: political tensions, economic uncertainty-and the fear of a continuing hostile mood at the US borders under President Donald Trump. After all, there are numerous reports that travelers will be in custody for a long time if they even pull their visa over one day. The decline is sensitive to the US tourism industry-after all, it contributes 2.5 percent to the country’s GDP.
Not only airlines, but also hotel chains are now alarm: “Trump has destroyed the United States’ image in just two months,” criticized Paul English, co -founder of the Kayak travel platform to the British newspaper. “This is not just an economic setback, but also a reputation damage that could have generations.”
Business international bookings
Overall, the number of international guests fell by 12 percent in March – the strongest decline since March 2021, when pandemic and Lockdowns still paralyzed global travel.
Adam Sacks from the Tourism Economics consulting company points out that Easter fell into March in the previous year and that the comparison could be distorted. However, according to Sacks, data from US airports and border crossings to Canada also showed: “It is obvious that something happens-and it is a reaction to Trump.”
The business on the transatlantic routes, especially in the higher -priced segment, has been a booming sector since the pandemic. But the first airlines report declines. Virgin Atlantic speaks of a “moderate” weakening of demand. Air France-Klm had to lower the economy prices. British Airways and Delta have so far been unimpressed – but analysts from the British financial institution Barclay expect that profitability on these routes could “suddenly deteriorate”.
The cancellation content in Europe is particularly high: According to the booking portal Omio, the cancellations for US trips rose by 16 percent in the first quarter, from Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Hotelery giants also raise the alarm: Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the French Group Accor, sees reports on arrests at the US border a cause of the falling demand. Accor has a decline in European US bookings for the summer of 25 percent.
In the previous year, international guests in the United States spent around $ 253 billion for trips and tourism -related goods and services – almost a fifth of all tourism income in the country. In view of the new figures, the US Travel Association warns of a dwindling image of America as a hospitable travel destination.