Statistics are in from Customs and Border Protection, and international visitors to the United States of America have stopped coming.
It has become too dangerous to visit the United States. Entering and exiting the nation has found tourists abused and incarcerated. Contents of people's smartphones are being inspected, and folks are harassed for text messages the current US administration disagrees with. For scientists on the way to conferences and influencers looking to renew their visas, the United States has become a bad trip.
It isn't just the cities cited in the graph above that are too dangerous to visit; the entire country is too scary. Here is the word from Las Vegas:
The Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority is projecting a 5% decline in room tax revenue for its upcoming budget, LVCVA President Steve Hill said at Tuesday morning's board meeting.
The authority budgeted $360 million from room taxes for the fiscal year ending June 30. A 5% decrease would result in an $18 million drop.
This downturn comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's trade policy decisions last week to institute a universal 10% tariff and additional targeted tariffs on countries that have high trade deficits with the United States — actions economists warn could trigger a global trade war.
Trump has also ignited tensions between the United States and its two neighbors, hitting Mexico and Canada with tariffs. He also threatened to annex Canada.
Last year, 2.6 million people from the two countries traveled to Las Vegas, making up half of international travel.
Las Vegas Sun
Who would not want to vacation in a country where they might be whisked off to an ICE contractor's prison and held for as long as the private company can charge for keeping you there? Sounds like a bad time.
