Tourists, love them or hate them, they are certainly good for the economy in New York City. And now, for the first time in seven years, experts are expecting 300,000 fewer foreign tourists to visit, costing the city about $600,000 million in sales.
The reason? President Trump.
Fred Dixon, the chief executive of NYC & Company, tells the Times that “it’s pretty clear” Trump’s new immigration plan “is going to be unwelcoming,” and tourists from abroad may choose to travel elsewhere because of that.
Online searches for hotels and airline bookings to the United States have dipped since the election, the inauguration and especially since Trump’s travel ban. “We’re going to be looking at a very challenging year for U.S. travel,” Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics told the Times.
Still, New York City wants everyone to know that regardless of where they come from, they are welcome here. Says Alicia Glen, the city’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development, “It’s in our values and in our economic interest. We’ll keep reminding visitors what we stand for, so we can keep this both the most internationally visited and the safest city in America.” [NYT]