Well he does know how to destroy a brand
by digby
In this case, it’s the American brand. The travel industry was expecting a big year. Instead they are hemorrhaging money and jobs. Guess why?
President Trump says he wants to keep out people who threaten the security of the United States. But his policies are discouraging tourists and threatening the American travel business, experts say.
One study forecasts a 10.6 million decline in visitors this year and next. The drop — nearly 7% of expected travelers — will cost the U.S. economy more than $18 billion and about 107,000 jobs, according to Tourism Economics, a forecasting firm used by the industry.
More than half of the lost business will be caused by reduced travel from Canada and Mexico. But experts say they are concerned about tourism declines from the U.K. and western Europe as well.
In March, Trump announced a 90-day freeze on visas for citizens of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Courts have blocked the visa restrictions. The Trump administration also banned travelers from 10 airports in Muslim majority countries from bringing laptops into the plane cabin.
The two policy changes, while controversial, were limited in scope. But the debate they have caused is discouraging travel far beyond the policies themselves.
“The travel ban, such as it is, would affect less than 0.1% of all visitors. But the whole rhetoric around it has damaged the U.S. brand as a destination,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics. “It’s a very discretionary market. It takes very little for them to shift their travel plan and preferences.”
We have a president who demonizes foreigners.And it’s not just Middle easterners and Mexicans. He’s rude about Asians and Europeans too. Why would they want to come here? We clearly don’t like them and don’t want them here whether it’s to work or vacation or emigrate.
As I’ve written here before, there are lots of wonderful places to visit in this world. There’s no need for anyone to come to the US if we’re going to vote for someone like Trump:
“My gut tells me … there are people who are upset by them and are interested in sending a message,” said Jonathan Grella, spokesman for the U.S. Travel Association, which represents hotels and tourist attractions.
And it can take a long time to change negative attitudes about traveling, he said.“We had to scratch and claw to make ourselves whole after 9/11, and suffered through a lost decade,” he said. “If not handled properly, we could find ourselves in a hole like that which is deeper than it needs to be.”
Not to worry. There are going to be so many new coal mining and steel worker jobs that the economy won’t even feel it. And those are jobs for Real Americans unlike the travel industry which employs useless parasites like women and people of color. It’s all good.
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