Fewer international travelers came to the United States during the first quarter of 2017. But two Route 66 landmarks that keep visitor records reported stable or higher numbers for the year to date over the previous year.
U.S. Department of Commerce data show a decrease of 4.2 percent of international visitors during the first three months of the year. Travel from Europe was down 10 percent in the quarter.
The drop-off was predicted earlier this year by many travel-industry professionals and a mobile application that analyzes airfare data.
The New York Times reported:
As points of comparison, the first quarter of 2013, after the reelection of Barack Obama, international tourism was up 6.4 percent, and the first quarter of 2009, after President Obama’s first election (and during global recession that began at the end of 2008), it was down 14.3 percent.
The question of whether the results prove a ripple effect from President Trump’s proposed travel ban on visitors from six majority-Muslim countries, an expanded wall along the Mexican border and anti-immigrant statements remains unanswered. But the data tracks with a decline in United States favorability abroad: In June, the Pew Research Center found that 49 percent of those surveyed in 37 nations had a positive view of the United States, versus 64 percent at the end of President Obama’s term in office.
Here are first-quarter trends from travelers in certain countries from the Department of Commerce:
- Switzerland: down 27.9 percent
- Venezuela: down 21.4 percent
- Russia: down 20 percent
- United Kingdom: down 15.5 percent
- Colombia: down 13.4 percent
- Brazil: down 13.3 percent
- Sweden: down 12.9 percent
- Germany: down 11.9 percent
- Australia: down 8.4 percent
- Mexico: down 7.1 percent
- Ireland: down 6.4 percent
- Spain: down 6.2 percent
- Argentina: down 6 percent
- India: down 3 percent
- Taiwan: down 2.8 percent
- Japan: down 2.1 percent
- Netherlands: down 1.6 percent
- China: down 0.5 percent
- Italy: no change
- France: up 2.1 percent
- Canada: up 5.1 percent
- South Korea: up 15.5 percent
The data tables included April figures, but the agency cautioned those numbers are preliminary and subject to revision.
The double-digit decreases from Europe would concern many Route 66 businesses. Many enterprises on the Mother Road report one-quarter to almost one-half of their revenues from international travelers, especially Europe.
However, the decrease in international numbers in the first quarter apparently didn’t affect Route 66 very much.
Ellie Alexander, director for tourism in Pontiac, Illinois, has tracked tourism numbers at the Illinois Route 66 Museum and Hall of Fame for years. Because Pontiac sits near the east terminus of Route 66 and is among its first must-stops, Pontiac’s numbers hold credibility.
I asked how the international numbers were doing this year compared to the same time a year ago. She replied in an email Wednesday:
Our international visitors who are not traveling in a group is up from 4,079 (1/16 – 9/16); the same time period in 2017 is 4,613.
Total international group travel individuals for 2016 was 2,912, to date, we’re at 1,240. We have 11 more international coach groups on the calendar and an unknown amount of international motorcycles as they just show up and we count them at the end of the month.
My guess is we will be down in groups about the same amount we are up in the individual numbers.
Pat Smith, director of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, a big must-stop near the middle of Route 66, reported this in an email:
Our International Visitation has increased 5% compared 2016. In fact, this has been the busiest year for overall visitation since the museum opened in September of 1995.
I emailed the Joliet HIstorical Museum in Joliet, Illinois, to ask for similar data, but officials there didn’t get back to me before publication of this story.
So it seems Route 66 largely is immune to many international-travel downturns. About the only thing that appears to depress foreign-visitor numbers there are poor economic conditions, such as the worldwide recessions that began in 2001 and 2008.
I speculated months ago Route 66 might not follow the typical international-tourism trend because:
- Route 66 travelers tend to skew older and thus are not representative of usual worldwide trends
- Route 66 tends to attract highly motivated travelers who want to cross it off their “bucket lists.”
It’s too early to calculate long-term trends because it will take months before the Department of Commerce compiles its data for the rest of 2017.
But based on what’s been reported so far from Pontiac and Clinton as tourism winds down, Route 66 either is immune from such international-travel declines, or the decreases simply vanished once spring and summer travel season began.
(Image of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois, by Anna Harris via Flickr)
Really, Route 66 News has lowered to President Trump bashing
In what way did the report bash the president?
I don’t think the Route 66 news article was an example of Trump-bashing. However, the quote from the agenda-driven NY Times provides another example of how they strive to politicize everything.
It is a change to see fewer European nationals going to America. When there have been terrorist attacks in any European country, and indeed (increased) conflicts in the Near and Middle East, there have been repeated drops in Americans coming to Europe. This is often put down to the fact that the USA – one country – is some 3,000 miles wide, more than from the west coast of the island of Ireland to Ankara in Turkey, mainly an Asian country. And when looking at a TV screen size map of Europe, any place looks close to another. That it is made up of some 44 countries is often forgotten by those who never visit Europe.
As for the reason behind the recent drop in people going to the USA, is this a drop in holiday makers, in business travellers, in family visits? Has the change from Obama to Trump really been behind it? Do foreigners feel less safe with him as president? Or is it the increased security checks? I often hear adverse comments about US airport passport staff.
As to Frank’s comment on the New York Times, I heard long ago that life and politics go hand in hand. The only time it becomes obvious is when the wrong sort of politics interfere with a person’s life.