Data shows tourists from tariff-affected nations are avoiding US
Tourism season this year might look a little different in the U.S. with people from several countries opting to skip out on visiting the states. Americans might see a decrease in visitors particularly from those countries hit hardest by President Donald Trump's tariffs.
The hotel travel site Trivago has seen a double-digit dip in the percentage of bookings to the U.S. from travelers based in Japan, Canada and Mexico. America's northern and southern neighbors were first on Trump's tariff hit list when he announced on February 1 a 25 percent tax on Canadian and Mexican exports.
On April 2, the president held his so-called 'Liberation Day' event where he announced sweeping tariffs on nearly every U.S. trade partner. The government's National Travel and Tourism Office found that visits to the U.S. from overseas fell by 11.6 percent in March compared to the same month the year prior, according to preliminary figures.
The economic impact of tariffs on Americans, it appears, has also led to more choosing to spend less on travel this year. Americans are choosing domestic holidays amid financial uncertainty and economic instability. There is also now a higher demand for Americans booking cheaper hotels in lower star categories.
Additionally, travelers from the United Kingdom are opting to take trips within their borders, as well, Trivago's findings suggest. The travel site also found that demand among Germans for vacations to the U.S. was 'down heavily' this travel season – though the decline was less than the Canadian, Mexican and Japanese travel figures.
Trump has threatened a 50 percent tariff on Germany , which has the largest economy in the European Union. The president announced on Sunday that paused the tax that was intended to take effect next month. While U.S. hotels are hit hard by this lack of international travel, other businesses in the $2.6 trillion tourism industry are increasingly worried about a 'Trump slump' this season.
The president's trade war and tariff threats have caused a volatile market and now his One Big Beautiful Bill Act initiative is causing concerns of a massive crash – including in the bonds market. Canadians were particularly furious over Trump's trade war as he repeatedly said the northern neighbors should become the 51st U.S. state because it would be beneficial for the country and its people.
Trump leveled earlier this year tariffs on more than 180 countries, but since then has paused most of them for periods of up to 90 days while international governments negotiate deals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
15 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Man mistakenly deported to El Salvador brought back to US to face charges
His abrupt release from El Salvador is the latest twist in a saga that sparked a months-long standoff between Trump administration officials and the courts over a deportation that officials initially acknowledged was done in error but then continued to stand behind in apparent defiance of orders by judges to facilitate his return to the US. The development occurred after US officials presented El Salvador President Nayib Bukele with an arrest warrant for federal charges in Tennessee accusing Abrego Garcia of playing a key role in smuggling immigrants into the country for money. He is expected to be prosecuted in the US and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country of El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said. 'This is what American justice looks like,' US attorney general Pam Bondi said in announcing Abrego Garcia's return and the unsealing of a grand jury indictment. Abrego Garcia's lawyers called the case 'baseless'. 'There's no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,' lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. Federal magistrate judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee, determined that Abrego Garcia will be held in custody until at least next Friday, when there will be an arraignment and detention hearing. The indictment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia that charges him with transporting people who were in the United States illegally (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) Abrego Garcia appeared in court wearing a short-sleeved, white, buttoned shirt. When asked if he understood the charges, he told the judge through an interpreter: 'Yes. I understand.' Democrats and immigrant rights groups had pressed for Abrego Garcia's release, with several politicians – including senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, where Abrego Garcia had lived for years – even travelling to El Salvador to visit him. A federal judge had ordered him to be returned in April and the US Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal by directing the government to work to bring him back. But the news that Abrego Garcia, who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs, was being brought back for the purpose of prosecution was greeted with dismay by his lawyers. The case also prompted the resignation of a top supervisor in the US attorney's office in Nashville, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. Ben Schrader, who was chief of the office's criminal division, did not explain the reason for his resignation but posted to social media around the time the indictment was being handed down, saying: 'It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.' He declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press on Friday.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tesla shares rebound slightly after $150bn wipe-out triggered by Musk's spat with Trump
Tesla shares were sent into freefall on Thursday after Elon Musk sounded off about Donald Trump and his policies on social media this week. The debacle saw roughly $150billion wiped from Tesla's market value in one of the worst days in months. While the electric car maker's share price tumbled 14 per cent on Thursday, it rebounded slightly on Friday following some indications tempers were cooling between the duo. Earlier this week, Trump threatened to cut off government contracts to Musk's businesses, including rocket firm SpaceX, which has contracts worth tens of billions of dollars with the US government. In response, Musk fired back and said: 'Go ahead, make my day.' The saga seemed to quieten somewhat on Friday as Musk broke his silence by agreeing with an X post that claimed he never attacked Trump personally. The initial feud was ignited over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill', before he launched into a series of attacks on the president and alleged he was 'in the Epstein files. Trump quickly branded Musk 'crazy' and said he has 'lost his mind'. The president also moved to sell his Tesla that he bought from Musk when their relationship was rosier in March, in a parting insult after saying he ousted Musk from his White House. US subsidies and contracts at Federal and state level are worth billions to Tesla, which also currently benefits from a $7,500 tax credit available for electric vehicle purchases. Tesla shares closed at $295.14 this week, down around 14 per cent on less than a week ago and down nearly a quarter on where they were six months ago. But the shares are still around 66 higher than they were a year ago. Tesla shares rose more than 60 per cent between the start of November when Trump was elected to the end of 2024. But investor pressure over Musk's controversial role in the White House ultimately led to him to stepping down from his unofficial 'DOGE' department, which had sparked protests and vandalism directed at Tesla. Tesla shares were on a run more recently, however, after Musk confirmed the group would be testing an autonomous, driverless 'robotaxi' service in Austin, Texas, this month. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said this week: 'Tesla shareholders are stuck in the middle of the battle zone as whatever happens to Musk will act as a proxy for the car company's share price. 'Trump has signalled he could terminate US government contracts with Musk's companies, causing Tesla's share price to crash 14 per cent in a day.' He added: 'Musk's outspokenness is becoming a liability for Tesla shareholders. 'He recently pledged to stay on as CEO for at least another five years, but if he cannot be restrained from stoking fires on the public stage, Tesla's board might have to think long and hard about his future with the business.' Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets, said on Friday: 'I spoke almost a year ago to Mark Spiegel of Stanphyl Capital in New York. 'He said it was just a matter of time before Musk and Trump fell out – the only question was who would shaft who first but his view was that sooner or later everyone "gets Musked". 'An ugly, name-calling, chest-thumping public brawl on Twitter between the richest guy in the world and the most powerful guy in the world – it's what the platform was made for. 'It's also whacked Tesla stock as bulls need to reassess their upside case for the carmaker. 'Both probably realise that this is doing each of them a lot of harm – Musk could lose billions of dollars in government contracts and tax credits, while Trump could see his 'big beautiful bill' fail to pass.'
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
A top Taliban official offers amnesty to Afghans who fled the country and urges them to return
A top Taliban official said on Saturday that all Afghans who fled the country after the collapse of the former Western-backed government are free to return home, promising they would not be harmed if they come back. Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund made the amnesty offer in his message for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as the 'Feast of Sacrifice.' The offer comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The measure largely bars Afghans hoping to resettle in the United States permanently as well as those hoping to go to the U.S. temporarily, such as for university study. Trump also suspended a core refugee program in January, all but ending support for Afghans who had allied with the U.S. and leaving tens of thousands of them stranded. Afghans in neighboring Pakistan who are awaiting resettlement are also dealing with a deportation drive by the Islamabad government to get them out of the country. Almost a million have left Pakistan since October 2023 to avoid arrest and expulsion. Akhund's holiday message was posted on the social platform X. 'Afghans who have left the country should return to their homeland,' he said. 'Nobody will harm them." "Come back to your ancestral land and live in an atmosphere of peace,' he added, and instructed officials to properly manage services for returning refugees and to ensure they were given shelter and support. He also used the occasion to criticize the media for making what he said were 'false judgements' about Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and their policies. 'We must not allow the torch of the Islamic system to be extinguished,' he said. 'The media should avoid false judgments and should not minimize the accomplishments of the system. While challenges exist, we must remain vigilant.' The Taliban swept into the capital Kabul and seized most of Afghanistan in a blitz in mid-August 2021 as the U.S. and NATO forces were in the last weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. The offensive prompted a mass exodus, with tens of thousands of Afghans thronging the airport in chaotic scenes, hoping for a flight out on the U.S. military airlift. People also fled across the border, to neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Among those escaping the new Taliban rulers were also former government officials, journalists, activists, those who had helped the U.S. during its campaign against the Taliban.
