The daily ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ reports that there has been a significant decrease in the number of Belgian booking a holiday in the United States. The fall in the number of Belgians booking trips to the US is confirmed by the Belgian Travel Confederation. The highly volatile nature of the first few months of the Trump administration is apparently making us think twice before booking a trip to the States.
On Thursday it was reported that a French scientist was denied entry to the United States after messages criticising President Trump were found on their telephone. Being denied entry to a country because you have criticised its Head of State is not something that you would normally associate with a democracy such as the United States. This and other reports of events across the Atlantic since Donald Trump became president appear to be damaging the country’s reputation as a tourist destination.
The CEO of the Belgian Travel Confederation says "We hear from travel agents that Belgian travellers are currently wavering when it comes to travel to the US. They are reluctant to commit to booking a trip to the US for next summer. At the moment, it seems like bookings are on hold”.
Mr Bosteels goes on to say that the approach that is being taken by the Trump administration is causing a backlash and this is having an impact on bookings. “Some parties are calling for a boycott of US products and brands, and this obviously does not help promote America as a travel destination. Many people are therefore reconsidering their travel plans and are not booking straight away. We have not received any cancellations yet, but new bookings are down”.
Exchange rate
Mr Bosteels also points to economic factors as being part of the reason for the fall in bookings. "After President Trump's inauguration, the value of the US dollar rose for a while. The US was already not a cheap destination, but any rise in the value of the dollar can have a compounding effect.”
“In the meantime, the value of the dollar has fallen back a little again. If it falls further in the coming weeks and months, Belgians might decide to use the opportunity of a cheaper dollar and book a trip to the States”.