Spain is set to leapfrog the US as the second most-visited country in the world by tourists, as the so-called ‘Trump slump’ continues.
Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced total earnings in the tourism sector rose by 12% to €87bn (£77bn) last year. The figures are all the more surprising given the political turmoil in Catalonia, Spain’s most popular tourist destination.
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Last year, police crushed independence protests, anti-tourism demonstrations took place in Barcelona and 14 people were killed and hundreds injured in a terrorist attack in the city. Despite this, tourism in Spain soared to record levels.
It was a different story across the Atlantic, where the US saw tourist numbers drop by 5% in the first three months of last year, and a further 3% over the summer, a phenomenon dubbed the “Trump slump”.
First identified after the US President announced a travel ban which blocked passengers from some Muslim countries entering the US, there has been a direct correlation between the controversial measure and a drop in tourism.
According to travel data company ForwardKeys, online searches for flights to America dropped by 17% the week the ban was announced, while international travel to the US dropped 6.5%.
“The proposed ban also coincided with the strengthening of the US dollar, making it a more expensive prospect as a holiday destination,” says The Independent.
In April last year, the online news site estimated the drop-off in tourism would result in 4.3 million fewer visitors to US over the course of the year, adding up to a staggering $7.4bn in lost revenue.
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