International travel to the U.S. declined 3.9 percent year-over-year
and overseas travel to the U.S., which excludes Mexico and Canada, fell 5.7
percent year-over-year for the first half of 2017, according to data released
by the National Travel and Tourism Office, or NTTO.
March had the steepest decline for overseas travel at 11
percent, while May experienced the most dramatic drop for international travel
at 8.5 percent. April was the only month in the first half of the year that
did not experience declines in both measures.
Both overseas and international travel to the U.S. have deteriorated
since April 2016, when they fell 4.8 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively, compared
to 2015 rates. In the first half of 2016, there was a 2.4 percent decrease in
international travel to the U.S. but no change for overseas travel. By the end
of the 2016, however, overseas travel had fallen 2.1 percent and international travel
declined 2.4 percent compared to 2015 full-year numbers.
The numbers correlate with the U.S. Travel Association's
Travel Trends Index for 2017, which incorporates
NTTO's data with other travel data sources. Like NTTO's data, the index
showed reduced inbound international travel to the U.S. in the first half of
2017, with the exception of April. The index forecasts decreases through the
end of 2017.
The steepest declines in overseas travel to the U.S. immediately
followed President Donald Trump's two executive orders banning travel to the
U.S. from six pre-dominantly Muslim countries. After Trump's travel ban on Jan.
27, overseas travel cratered 10.2 percent year-over-year in February and fell
11 percent in March when he issued the second order.
U.S. Travel Association
president and CEO Roger Dow commented on the NTTO data. "These numbers are an
undeniable wake-up call, and correcting this troubling trend needs to become a
national priority," he said "The travel industry will turn over every
stone looking for all available policy options to better promote the U.S. as an
international destination, and we stand ready to partner with the federal
government to grow travel, and American jobs and exports along with it."