U.S. tourism has slowed considerably since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, according to a study published by the searching app Foursquare, as airline industry lobbyists grow increasingly concerned over security measures on trans-Atlantic flights.
Foursquare said the data, mined from 50 million monthly users of its app across 150 countries, indicated that U.S.-bound tourism began to slow in October, from a global market share of around 6% to -16% by the end of March. Foursquare said California had been hit the hardest by the decrease in international travel, and indicated the U.S. -bound business trip activity, while improving, hasn't kept pace with the worldwide average.
"Observers of the above charts will note that the downturn in tourism came months before the new President came into office, and before changes to visa procedures, restrictions on travel from certain Muslim countries, the ban on certain electronics during flights from select countries and more," Foursquare said in a blogpost that accompanied the data.
"This timing may align with the heated rhetoric of the height of the Presidential election last fall, as the big dip began in October. International travelers may have determined that the America within their sights was less appealing or welcoming. Trend lines become even more steep in January when Trump took office, and have continued up through the end of Q1 2017," the blog posted noted.
