“Save what we can”: Economic uncertainty, Trump rhetoric affects US travel | Donald Trump

New York, we – Miguel Olave lives in a quiet suburb outside Wichita, Kansas called Derby. Each year, Alexis Olave, with his wife, leads his four boys on vacation somewhere around the United States, such as Disney World or New York. However, this year the family’s annual tradition has been discontinued.

“We decided a few weeks ago that because of all the unknown, we were just not going to travel this summer,” Al Jazeera told Olave.

Olave said that one of the reasons for reducing the trip is the huge cost of the cost of the goods that his family needs on a daily basis. Any additional income is no longer diverted to indulgences such as travel, but with the increasingly expensive food bill.

“Usually… By the 15th of each month, we reach around $ 350 to $ 400 in food products. We are approaching $ 600 this month,” said Olave.

According to the Labor Statistical Bureau (BLS) data, although grocery prices have fallen by 0.1 percent, the highest drop in almost five years, they are still 2 percent higher than in that time last year.

Despite how long the labor market holds him stable, Olave, who is working in marketing, believes it is best to save the next money rather than spend it on travel.

“We think it’s just wise, you know, buckle and save what we can,” Olave said.

He is far from one himself. As consumer confidence reaches the lowest level of 13 years, otherwise reliable travelers, such as Olave, do not take in the sky.

The travel industry publication in a survey of travel consultants by the travel industry publication revealed that 57 percent of travel planters had a reduction in business, and 63 percent of consultants mentioned economic uncertainty as one of three reasons for hesitation.

“It is very clear that consumers are waiting for decisions, including the summer,” said Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan at the annual Strategic Conference at the end of May.

This trend is repeated in the Bank of America report, which shows consumers holding off their lodging and flight spending. According to the online travel agency FlightThub, reservations have fallen by 10 percent compared to this time last year.

Travel booking Expedia In its first quarter, the revenue report showed that reservation growth has stopped in the US, referring to weaker local demand, which is opposed to trends in the rest of the world.

“The US demand was soft caused by consumer sentiment,” said Ariane Gorina, Executive Director of Expedia during a revenue call.

Flight ticket prices have fallen as a result of lower demand. The latest consumer price index report, released on Wednesday, showed that airline prices fell by 2.7 percent in May after a 2.8 percent decline in April, a tendency to a March report, which showed 5.3 percent.

Even for those who are still choosing to travel, 24 percent of MMGY, a MMGY tour, are looking for cheaper modes of transport and 22 percent are looking for shorter stay, all of which will help reduce costs.

Rhetoric bites international tourists

The flow of tourists to the United States is also due to US government officials and policies related to immigration and trans-rights, not economic concerns.

Blaming it for Trump’s administration “Globally controversial and globally different… rhetoric and politics”, Adam Sack, President of the Tourism Economics, Oxford Economic Department, Economic Forecasting firm, said: which is only in terms of fighting and it becomes us against them.

“It really affected the perception. It affected the country’s brand and mood against the country.”

According to the US Travel Association, the international trip to the country in March fell by 14 percent. If this trend continues for the rest of the year, it could pay the US travel industry $ 21 billion.

The most important fall is Canada, as overnight stays from the Northern Neighborhood Night this March decreased by 26 percent. Data from Canadian statistics show a 35.2 percent drop in car return trips to the US in April compared to the same time last year. It was also the fourth month compared to the previous year.

“Everywhere we look, we see the signs of a further trip to the US,” Sacks added.

The immigration policy of Trump’s administration has also caused alarms among international travelers, which are facilitated by disturbing detention and deportation stories.

Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney held the US Immigration and Customs Execution (ICE) for 12 days when she went to San Ysidro Center at the Mexican and US border to apply for her visa. German teenagers Maria Lepere and Charlotte Pohl were deported after arriving in the Hawaii on vacation, as reported because they did not have a hotel reservation. And the French scientist was denied entry to a research conference near Houston after US officials found reports on the president’s critical report on their phone.

US Vice President JD Vance also joked during the press conference about the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled for Host in 2026, for the visitors of the event, who surpassed them.

One of the cases that have raised some foreign travelers is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a resident of Maryland, who was deported and sent to the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador.

Initially, the administration claimed that his deportation was an administrative error. Records of the Department of Justice do not indicate a criminal conviction against him. However, officials later turned the course stating that he was a member of the MS-13 of the International Criminal Gang, the US President tried to justify using a digitally altered image of Garcia’s hinges.

Another case where travelers could be scared is Juan Francis Mendeza, a man in Massachusetts, whose ice was detained in the event of a mistaken identity.

The Mexican National, who often visits US work and traveled to New York in April, said Al Jazeera, an anonymous condition, said it was his last trip for some time, referring to stories as preventive means.

“I don’t want to go down the street on my way to a business meeting, making mistakes and couldn’t prove myself in a different way,” the traveler said.

This happens when the White House doubles its strict immigration position. Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of the White House Policy Staff, known for his anti-immigration beliefs, has said that the Trump administration is considering stopping Habeas Corpus-Law, which protects people from illegal detention.

Although Miller said the move would be without documents, migrants, eliminating the legal regulation could prevent people from seeing a judge, challenging evidence, or defending themselves, and would eventually affect anyone on the US soil.

Miller has justified the proposal, stating that there is a “invasion of migrants”. However, since March 2024, long before Trump took office, since March 2024, migration to the United States has actually continued to decline.

“The actions of this administration simply have entered a new level of passion for people attending the United States and have certainly trigger more caution,” said Noore Zafar, a senior lawyer of the immigrant rights project.

“We have advised people, especially those who are non -citizens, to make sure they consult a lawyer before the trip, or at least have a lawyer at the airport when they are at the airport and try to re -enter just because there is only an increased unpredictability of what will happen.”

Gloomy perspective

In the future, the Oxford economy predicts that visits from Canada to the United States could fall by as much as 20.2 percent this year. Overall, the IT projects a 9.4 percent reduction in international visitors in the year 2025, which is expressed in contrast to the December forecast, which predicted an increase of 8.8 percent.

Travelers’ online communities are expressed in avoiding the US, instead choosing destinations in Europe and Canada. Al Jazeera contacted a number of posters, none of which responded to interview requests.

Confirming the trend, Ellie Mertz’s chief Financial Director, Ellie Mertz’s investor, said that Canadian travelers visit the United States less, more than more than spending more than more in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Hotel reservations are also falling rapidly. Hotel booking platform Hotelplanner showed a 61 percent drop in US hotel reservations from international travelers in April compared to the same period last year. The biggest decline decreased in Canada and British markets 52 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

Air France-KLM has lowered the price of economics in transatlantic flights. Air Canada CEO Mike Ruso noted the “low -teenager” percentage drop in reservations in the US in the next six months when the company’s recent income call. Both Air Canada and Air France-KLM refused to comment further.

“We think it will be widespread and heavy in the coming months,” Sack said, explaining the incoming journey.

Even traditional allies, including the United Kingdom and Germany, have issued warnings of travel -related visits, citing policies that have created a more hostile atmosphere for foreign travelers.

Passengers already notice empty flights.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a flight that is empty,” said Garena Kazanka, a Los Angeles resident who recently left home from Rome.

Frequent flyer Kazanc said his family, who lives in different countries across Europe, is now reluctant to travel to US security problems.

“It is a kind of traumatic when people are kidnapped from the streets, especially if you are non -stigma. If the state does not follow the basic rules of the Supreme Law, which is the constitution, you as a tourist are skeptical as a tourist who comes to visit the United States,” he said.

ACLU lawyer Zafar added: “There is a general level of fear of how much land has changed about what the government will try to do.”

The White House did not respond to Al Jazeer’s request to comment.