Could Trump’s presidency deliver a boost to Spanish tourism?

The world’s tourism big three are Spain, France and the USA, with each nation seemingly taking it in turns to be the most popular from one year to the next. While there will always be arguments as to the exact nature of tourism and visits, plenty of data from last year points to Spain taking the lead in 2017 as the world’s most visited country…

But it is tight margins. France sees a lot of undocumented overland travel as drivers skim across its northern corner, in and out of the UK, Belgium and Germany, while Spain’s influx is a little easier to monitor given its location in southwestern Europe.

And then there is the USA. By far the largest of the three, tourism into the country is tightly controlled, with the nation’s infamously po-faced border control hardly likely to turn a blind eye to a few thousand here and there.

Some years, the USA takes the mantle as the world’s most visited country, and even on the years it does not, the fluctuations are only minor. Perhaps, though, things are about to change.

US President Donald Trump has been nothing if not vocal during his short tenure, and his spiky rhetoric and hastily-erected travel bans on some nationalities has served to spook many would-be tourists, with data from airline analyst app Hopper revealing a 6.5% drop in airline bookings into the USA since Trump became president, while searches for flights to the country have fallen by 17%.

These declines have been seen in most countries around the world, except for – interestingly – Russia, where enquiries have soared by 88%.

Hopper’s figures were mirrored by those collated by Spanish travel research company ForwardKeys, and British tour operator Responsible Travel, which recorded a 22% decrease in inquiries for holidays to the USA following Trump’s appointment.

“The data forces a compelling conclusion that Donald Trump’s travel ban immediately caused a significant drop in bookings to the USA and an immediate impact on future travel,” said ForwardKeys CEO Olivier Jager. “This is not good news for the US economy.”

It could, however, be good news for Spain. While the makeup of a typical tourist to the US is varied, a good portion of those who visit will head to the sun, sea and sand of Florida. And if the USA no longer appeals, Spain could easily step in as an adequate replacement, able to offer families the excellent beaches and weather that they crave, and much more besides.