Checking into a hotel, paying resort fees, $ 50-per-night parking fees, and a 20% tip on top of these fees to cover health insurance for kitchen staff has made America unpredictable when it comes to calculating costs for stays for foreign tourists.
Protests and civil unrest are erupting at any time and in any place. The lack of freedom of expression, gun violence, and a hostile atmosphere towards foreigners, regardless of political affiliations, make the US an unfriendly and dangerous destination. Foreigners attending a pro-Gaza demonstration may end up in prison for years.
When airline captains flying their wide-body Boeing or Airbus aircraft to the U.S. from Europe or Asia encounter chaos at airports, wait times, a lack of catering, and, above all, unpredictable immigration policies, the experience for travelers can be unpleasant, creating not a welcoming experience but a fearful one. This eventually also falls back to the airline.
When surveys in Western Europe reveal that 70% or more of potential US travelers would prefer Canada, the Caribbean, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and other alternatives, it is not only alarming but also sends a devastating message.
Airlines are taking notice. Without issuing press releases or making announcements, major and not-so-major airlines are backing out of the U.S. market, reducing frequency, and are taking former U.S.-bound travelers to Canada, Tokyo, Bangkok, or Seoul instead.
In Northern Europe, the decline in tourism arrivals is the worst, at 65%.
At some international terminals at major US airports, the lack of foreign travelers has become a daily scene, while Americans are escaping to Europe in record numbers.
Airlines cutting frequency on many of their U.S. schedules, or airlines backing out of the U.S. market altogether, include such iconic carriers as Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and airlines such as Play from Iceland, Air Canada, and Westjet.
It’s not all about increasing landing fees, an increasingly overburdened aviation security environment, aging infrastructure, unclear rate and tax systems, and security and safety concerns. To blame are not the Americans, who often go out of their way to welcome foreign guests and take pride in their good old USA.
To blame are clearly changes made by the current government and the US Border and Customs enforcement agencies. The word ICE has taken on the meaning of Gestapo, or secret police, for many.
Even if a tourist overstays a visa by a week, even if there was a reason to refuse entry, it doesn’t mean such guests need to be handcuffed, dressed in orange jump suits, and thrown in an overcrowded prison for weeks. There are more professional and welcoming ways to treat non-criminal visitors with decency and humanity, and in a speedy way.
As word spreads, this is hurting the travel and tourism industry in the United States and the millions of people working in this sector.
Many US destinations, DMCs are hurting and want to make America Great again. In making America welcoming to visitors, regardless of their origin or political affiliation, gender – America should be welcoming and accessible to all legitimate visitors.
