The Trump Slump Might Not Exist
Jennifer Billock June 09, 2017
Outfit of traveler with cup of coffee on wooden background, Vintage style
Is there really a “Trump Slump” in travel? Maybe not—business travel at least is expected to rise.
Earlier this year, business travel took a dive. January saw no increase, and February and April had negative growth. But it might not be because of the “Trump Slump” we’ve heard so much about. The U.S. Travel Association recently released its Travel Trends Index report – and it predicts that business travel will increase steadily, though in small increments, over the next six months. The association believes the dive was a fluke spurred by the Easter holiday.
“Leisure travel led the domestic market once again in April, as the domestic business [current travel index] declined,” the report says, reported by Skift. “However, this decline in business travel should be interpreted with caution: Business travel was stronger in March than in April in 2017, since the Easter holiday fell in April this year, and stronger in April than in March in 2016, because Easter 2016 fell in March. This is what drove a particularly strong [current travel index] reading (based on year-over-year growth) in March 2017 and a negative reading in April 2017.”
International leisure travel was also analyzed and the report showed a 4 percent year-over-year growth in April, something that surprised the association because of Trump’s travel ban.
“Are we surprised by this data? The honest answer is yes,” said U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow in a statement reported by Skift. “There have been many claims that the administration’s actions on travel have tarnished America’s brand abroad, but we’re seeing hard economic evidence of the U.S. travel sector’s remarkable resilience.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
