Travel and tourism took a big hit during Covid. The industry worldwide has been struggling ever since. The political climate in Washington is not helping. Our president’s choice words for other countries and their leaders has probably made tourists everywhere more wary of travelling to the U.S. So, what’s the future hold? As with most things, it depends.
Foreign visits to the U.S. are still not back to pre-Covid levels (see charts below) but it’s interesting to note, total dollars spent by tourists here is at a record level. Prices are up, which has had something to do with this. Another factor is the bounce back in many economies since Covid, which has given foreign tourists greater buying power.
Don’t disregard the dark clouds on the horizon, however. The two largest senders of tourists to the U.S. – Canada and Mexico – are not in a good mood today. You don’t win friends by calling the Prime Minister of our northern neighbor, ‘Governor’ and insisting Canada, a sovereign nation, would be better off as our 51st state. It’s doubtful Canadian visits to the U.S. will increase anytime soon and the same can probably be said for Mexico.
Across the pond, things look different. By 2023, U.S. visitors to Europe exceeded pre-Covid levels and visits this year will be up another 10%. Many Americans have the money and are traveling.
For trivia fans, which is the most visited U.S. state? New York. And which state do foreign visitors find most unfriendly? As some of you might have guessed, this is a gotcha question: the least friendly State is New York!
Travel trends are always changing. Solo travel is becoming a much bigger part of world tourism. One reason may be that travelling with others is difficult. Don’t they say, if you want to see if a marriage will work, travel with your partner first! A more Gestalt interpretation may be that for solo travelers, it’s less about going to distant places than it is about discovering oneself.
The most surprising thing for me, however, is that, as The Economist reports, over 80% of solo travelers are women. Maybe solo women travelers feel safer today because the internet has made it much easier and faster to post reviews of the safe countries and warnings about the difficult ones.
The internet has changed so many things and one thing you can imagine it has killed off is the traditional guidebook market: Lonely Planet, Frommer’s, Rick Steves, etc. Well don’t jump to conclusions. In America and Britain, the two largest guidebook markets, sales are just about back to pre-Covid levels. Buyers are apparently looking for a trusted source not just for the most popular sites, but also for the less visited ones. Print guidebooks have cut back on food and lodging recommendations, where the internet is much more current and comprehensive, but they still have plenty of fans.
Regardless of how crazy the world is today, travel still makes you richer, it changes your view of people and places, builds appreciation, and recharges your batteries. “Once a year, go somewhere you have never been,” as the Dalai Lama reminds us.
