Travel ban, strong dollar seen putting damper on U.S. tourism sector

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Mon Mar 20, 2017 | 8:01am EDT

Travel ban, strong dollar seen putting damper on U.S. tourism sector

Travel and tourism's contribution to the U.S. economy will grow at a slower pace this year than in 2016 due to a strong U.S. dollar and a perception that the country is less welcoming to foreigners, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month signed a revised executive order banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from traveling to the United States, which some have warned could deter visitors.

Those countries account for a tiny percentage of visitors to the United States, but there is growing concern that the order could hurt the country's image and scare other tourists away.

"The travel ban is not having a material impact yet. But we are seeing the unintended consequences of this now because the message has gone around the world that the U.S. is not open for business," the WTTC's President David Scowsill told Reuters.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-tourism-idUSKBN16R15S

[Warpy]

1. Well, except the buck's been declining as of late

It's the travel ban and a bunch of border control and customs goons gone WAY OUT OF CONTROL.

If tourist traps want foreign visitors, they'd better join us in trying to get that lunatic out of the White House.