International Tourist Spending in U.S. at Record High Heading into Summer
Skift Take
We won't call it a Trump bump but we do see some kind of increase occurring in international visitor spending so far this year. But spending seems to be down since February. The Summer travel season should provide more clarity.
International travelers spent $20.8 billion on travel to and within the United States in April, more than a three percent increase over April 2016.
The first four months of 2017 are the highest for foreign tourism spending on record.
The National Travel & Tourism Office, which released the latest tallies, sought to politicize the numbers, highlighting them in a press release headline: "‘Trump Bump’ continues for fourth consecutive month with record-setting exports year to date."
While some travel companies express concerns that the U.S. stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in travel spending this year because of the President Trump's rhetoric and actions, the U.S. Travel Association hasn't seen signs of a downturn.
“Our economists have not yet fully reviewed the Commerce Department figures, but our own data shows a sustained strong demand for international travel to the U.S.," Chris Kennedy, senior director of strategic communications for the U.S. Travel Association, said Friday. "We were bracing for a downturn based on claims from some quarters of a measurable impact from the president’s executive orders, but our model is designed to be comprehensive and balanced, and is telling us that the American travel market is robust and resilient.”
The U.S. Supreme Court this week upheld elements of Trump's ban on travel from certain Muslim-majority countries pending a hearing in October.
The travel industry has plenty to be uncertain about these days, from Bre
