Tariffs, travel bans, widespread layoffs – if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Donald Trump , it’s because he'll create headlines. Constantly .
Even in the UK, where most of his choices do not directly affect us, this extensive media attention persists. However, could all this focus be influencing British people who plan to visit America for a holiday?
If you examine the bare statistics provided, US National Travel And at the Tourism Office, you may believe the response is negative.
In January, during Trump’s second inauguration, the United States saw a 5% increase in visitors from the UK compared to the same month the previous year.
In February and April, there was an increase in British travelers visiting the United States compared to those months in 2024. This indicates that rather than deterring travel, having Trump in charge might actually make us more eager to visit the country. particularly if you're arriving from Ireland.
The UK-based trade body ABTA, representing the travel sector, shares a comparable story.
A spokesperson stated that they "have not observed any notable alterations regarding UK-US travel since the change from the Trump administration." Mountaintravel , showing 'no significant deviations' from the States.
However, that might not encompass the entire narrative.
The Australia-based travel company Intrepid Travel provides small group tours to a variety of locations including Nepal, the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica, and the United States.
Nevertheless, the latter has experienced a considerable decline in interest over the last five months, with bookings from UK clients decreasing by 12%.
The decrease seems to be primarily due to one specific age group: individuals aged 21 to 30, among whom reservations have dropped by nearly a quarter.
The effect on customers older than that group was smaller.
Joanna Reeve, who serves as the General Manager for the UK and Ireland at Intrepid, stated Mountaintravel 'Although it is impossible to determine exactly what is behind this decline, the unfavorable view of the US under the new leadership might be influencing individuals’ decisions about traveling.'
'Updated immigration policies and travel limitations might deter possible tourists.'
She noted that the destination continues to be quite popular overall. Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the United States ranked as the sixth most-visited country by UK residents in 2023; however, it was closely followed by Portugal at number five and Greece at number four.
A survey conducted for ABTA during the previous summer—before Trump’s election but while the presidential campaign was at its peak—revealed that the U.S. ranked third, following only Spain and France, in destinations people intended to visit within the coming 12 months.
Joanna proposed that even those who oppose the trajectory set by the Trump administration could benefit from visiting the United States to potentially lessen its effects.
She stated: "It is possible to journey there in a manner that benefits locals, such as by participating in experiences led by indigenous communities."
'We're additionally urging folks to explore and back our National Parks, which are dealing with substantial reductions in their budget.'
Notably, the perspective of youthful travelers with Intrepid seems unaffected by Trump’s influence, contrasting with the general stance in the UK.
A survey conducted by Ipsos shortly before the Inauguration Day in January revealed that individuals aged between 18 and 34 years old in the UK were the most prone to hold a positive opinion of the US President.
Nevertheless, 47% of British individuals within these age groups continued to have an unfavorable opinion of him as opposed to 31% who held a favorable view. People aged 35 to 54 showed a disapproval rate of 64%, whereas 72% of those 55 years old and above shared similar negative sentiments.
Contact our news team by sending an email to webnews@Mountaintravel.co.uk .
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