From the President
I don't want to seem obsessed with President Trump, but he is definitely the man of the moment - it hardly seems that a day goes by without some kind of new controversial Presidential Executive order.
As I said last week, the immigration ban imposed on several predominantly Muslim countries, resulted in mass demonstrations both here and in the USA.
For me, the big question is, will it affect tourism to the USA?
Last week, for the first time in many years, our enquiries to the USA were a bit flat during the peak booking period. I am now asking myself, is it just a blip, is it the current poor exchange rate, or is it because the public are being put off going to the USA this year because of the political situation?
Past President Obama was one of the founding fathers of 'Brand USA', the vehicle used for promoting USA tourism to a worldwide audience using funds generated by the ESTA scheme for entry into the US.
Last week, Gerry Boyle (Brand USA's representative in the UK) stated that they were confident that they would be able to work hand in hand with the new Administration. If initial reactions to the new immigration ban are anything to go by, they are going to have their work cut out for them.
Here is the thing, Trump has built a big part of his business empire on golf and hotel tourism, so we have to assume he has a fair understanding of the tourism business. However, he is now in the unenviable position of having to balance homeland security issues/restrictions (due to promises that he made during the election) with the relatively free movement of people required for a healthy tourism business.
The immigration ban has been lifted - for now, but serious damage has been done to public perceptions.
Let's hope that the UK's love of travel to the USA can overcome these difficulties and that President Trump can get US tourism back on track.
