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High travel costs overshadow political concerns for overseas visitors, says U.S. Travel's CEO
CHICAGO -- On U.S. destinations' list of concerns, high prices rank higher than presidential politics, said U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman.
"As I walk on the floor here and talk to people, the biggest concern I hear from buyers is not about administration policy. The number one concern I hear is the cost of travel," Freeman said on June 16 at U.S. Travel's annual IPW conference this week. "I was talking with someone earlier today who just said they went and got a latte and it was $8. That's just a really expensive latte. And it's fair to say that could be a shock for many travelers and it's something we've got to pay attention to."
Freeman also said that while there is some weakness in inbound travel, the numbers are "fine," except for Canada. However, "fine" is a missed opportunity.
"We should be driving an increase year-over-year in inbound travel to the United States," he said. "It should be a priority for the country. I appreciate that major events are a priority for the administration -- the World Cup, the Olympics, America's 250th birthday -- and they're driving a lot of focus. I hope we can earn the same focus on driving travel to the United States every day of the week. And we're making inroads with the administration to be able to have those conversations."
The National Travel & Tourism Office's most recent overseas visitation numbers showed an 8% year-over-year increase in April, followed by a 2.8% dip in May.
Year-to-date international visitation to the U.S. is down 0.8%, mainly due to a weak March, when travel fell 11.6%. The NTTO's numbers do not include Canada, the top source market for U.S. visitors, or land crossings from Mexico.
Freeman said there has been a "handwringing, sky is falling" narrative about inbound travel in the media.
"That's not what the numbers say," he said. "The numbers say that we have some weakness and softening. A lot of that is fueled by Canada. Canada is a market where the decline cannot be debated, and it also can't be argued why they're doing it. They're rallying around their flag, and we've got work to do to earn their business in the future."
Freeman said he's disappointed with mainstream media coverage of international travel to the U.S., saying that the media wants to "use our industry to embarrass the administration. They want to make travel the victim and push this angle that the sky is falling. It's very disappointing."
He pointed to efforts from the administration to send a welcoming message to travelers, including the presence of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance for the rollout of the World Cup Task Force, where Trump and Vance said "very clearly in front of the journalists, 'We want you to come to America.' I think that was the first time they had made that comment in this administration. So we very much appreciate that.
"That's not to say there aren't areas I think we can do better," he added. "I think we have to acknowledge that a perception has formed that the U.S. is not as welcoming as it was. That at a customs checkpoint you might get detained or your device might be searched. There's more we need to do to assure the world that we do want them to come, that they are a priority for us. And that's a combination of the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, Brand USA, all working together to address this."
