Mexican travel agencies are blaming President Donald Trump and his administration for the decline in Mexican tourists visiting the U.S.
According to Reportur.com, the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (AMAV) pins the responsibility squarely on Trump's aggressive policy toward Mexico.
U.S. Department of Commerce data showed that 11,188,000 Mexican tourists visited the U.S. from January to August last year, representing a 7.6 percent drop compared to the same period in 2016 and the lowest total of the last seven years.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that 50 percent more Mexican citizens visited Canada during 2017 compared to the previous year. Brazil, France and Colombia have also emerged as enticing alternatives for Mexicans.
The decline in Mexican tourists visiting the U.S. signals a dramatic shift from recent years. According to AMAV, the increase in Mexican visitors to the U.S. rose from 8 percent to 12 percent between 2010 and 2016 during Barack Obama's presidency.
Last year, the U.S. Travel Association called the 3.9 percent overall decline in international inbound travel to the U.S. through June 2017 a wake-up call.
"The latest government travel data is deeply concerning not just to our industry, but to anyone who cares about the economic well-being of the United States. Travel is our country's No. 2 export and supports more than 15 million American jobs," said U.S. Travel president and CEO, Roger Dow in a statement.
What's more, the drop in Mexican tourists to the U.S. could be hurting American tourism two-fold as spending ramps up.
Confederation of Tourism Organizations of Latin America president, Armando Bojórquez attributed the increase in Mexican tourists' average economic impact abroad to the peso's recovery:
"As the value of the peso recovered against the dollar (from January to October) compared to the same period in 2016, we saw that many people with economic power in Mexico went to spend more on purchases and tours, an immediate reaction, despite the threats of walls and cancellation of programs that discouraged the mood of documented migrants," said Bojórquez via Reportur.com.
This month, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis announced international travelers to the U.S. spent 3.3 percent less through November 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. According to U.S. Travel, the drop translates to losses of $4.6 billion spent in the U.S. economy and 40,000 jobs.
"For our country to have any hope of closing the trade gap, international inbound travel must perform, simple as that," stated Dow. "After almost a decade and a half of relatively sustained post-9/11 recovery, since 2015 there's been evidence that the country has gotten complacent with the policies needed to support this vital economic engine and job creator."
While fewer Mexican travelers are venturing north of the border, Mexico itself continues to climb the rankings of the world's most popular countries, reporting impressive increases in visitation and visitor spending.
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