Overseas Visitation to the United States Down 4.2 % Year Over Year in January 2026

 Overseas Visitation to the United States Down 4.2 % Year Over Year in January 2026

No surprise here.

Non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals to the United States from foreign countries totaled:

4.6 million in January 2026, down 4.8 percent compared to January 2025.

This represents 87.4 percent of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume.

Hmmm, who was in office pre-pandemic?

Read the facts here.

Ferry Birds

 These birds were following the ferry.  

The ferry is no longer there since the Taiwan Government built bridge the Puente La Amistad.

Bus Trips and June 6th

 We have all had long travel trips.  Like the road trip to Florida from Maryland that took maybe 20 hours straight (by way of Easton, MD).  I couldn't sleep in the car, so I ended up driving most of the time.

Then there was a bus trip that took about 17 hours from Maryland to Georgia.  I had done many trips to NYC by bus, but for the one on June 6th, I wasn't meeting anyone.

From my journal (June 6, 1974)

"...from Baltimore 5:00 pm to Washington 6:00 pm to Greensboro 3:30 am to Asheville 6:30 am long hot trip.  Didn't get enough sleep about 2 hours of halfassed sleep.

7 June Friday

Got to Dahlonega about 11:00 am.  Left for Amicalola Falls at 12:1=05 arriving 1/2 hour later.  It was an extremly hard climb to Springer. About 6 hours.  Boy was I beat!!  The bus trip cost $2.85 from Dahlonega to State Park.  I got really depressed today but am feeling better at 8:30 pm done dinner, an talking with people at the shelter.  They are really friendly.  They are from Maine & Michigan....."

International arrivals to US decline

well.....duh.

For some recent (May 2020) stats, see the National Travel and Tourism Office website.

There have been no news releases from this office since October last year.

But you can access the disaster page at this point.

Travel warning to the US

For UK citizens, you are warned not to travel to the US.

And not just for the virus but for terrorism in the US and crime too.  For terrorism you may want to check out our homeland security page for the current threats.

At least you can drink the water.  Well maybe,

For info on the virus, see WHO and the current situation report (67).

The Green Book Revisited

Now that the Hollywood movie has provided an account of car travel for African Americans in the 20th century, we are reminded that free travel is still not available for people around the globe.

You may recall I blogged about the Green Book before where I provided a short PowerPoint Slide Show with references. So you can search for more material on the copious subject.

For instance, another Blog also reports on the Green Book (date 17 June 2019).

Now what about today?

Since some American States has denied some rights to their citizens, out of protest, no public funds are available for public sector employees to travel to those states.

Consider this debate about the upcoming Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, ASCP conference in South Carolina:

"We write to engage you in a discussion of great importance regarding our upcoming conference hosted by Clemson University (in Greenville, South Carolina, October 24-27, 2019) as well as decision-making regarding future conference locations. On April 2, the California Attorney General placed South Carolina on a list with nine other states where California employees cannot travel on state funds, due to South Carolina’s discrimination against the LGBTQ community in adoption and foster care (https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887). The ten states include Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas."

The bottom line here is how to deal with the ethical issue.  

International Travel Warnings....to the US

Sure we know about travelling to Niger, Venezuela and Sudan.  But about to the US?

In the UK, travelers are warned against visiting the US, due to firearms and domestic terrorism, natural disasters and health risks!  Health related threats are also found in Canada's travel page.

And Germans are cautioned about "There is an increased threat of terrorism and extremist violence worldwide and this should be borne in mind by Irish citizens living and working in the USA. The USA has also witnessed a number of mass shootings in recent years."

Think it is dangerous to travel abroad?  Think again.

Eclipse Tourism

Forget Trump Slump, the hottest news in travel and tourism this summer is the Solar Eclipse.  There is a boat load of info on the web, so let me start with some links my colleagues at Westfield State have shared.

The American Astronomical Society has this one.  A commercial site from France has a cool map.

Now if it is a cloudy day, visibility will be poor.  So just like you need to have cloudless days to the Aurora Borealis you will need the same for the eclipse.  So check out the US government site for cloud cover on the day.

Last Sunday (6 August 2017) the New York Times has a special section on the eclipse.  You can probably find a copy in your public library.

Best places to see the eclipse?  Think West, where the skies will be clearer and less pollution.  Casper Wyoming might be a good spot.  SIU at Carbondale (Illinois) will open the stadium and enjoy the longest duration of 2 minutes 41.6 seconds (don't you love the precision mathematics of astronomy).  For us on the eastern seaboard the eclipse will rock the skies at 2:40 pm, while Salem Oregon it will darken the skies at 10:20 am.

Remember your glasses.

Cloudy or too far away?  Watch it on TV.

For a night time video on a lunar eclipse, check my entry here.

Airshow this Weekend in Westfield Mass.

I wonder how many tons of carbon are dumped into our air this weekend.  Bring your O2!

The EPA reports "EPA Determines that Aircraft Emissions Contribute to Climate Change Endangering Public Health and the Environment."  Add to that the thousands of tourists driving into Whip City, the human impact is deadly.

Now, to be fair, the bulk of aviation is commercial traffic and not the War Games this weekend.

But just  yesterday our NOAA reports that 2016 was the hottest on record!!  Be patient seems everyone on the planet wants to read how we are destroying the planet.  From the report:

For more visuals from the report.


Need information about the airshow?  Otherwise steer clear of Interstate 90 and 91 this weekend.  If you must, use your Waze App or see MassDOT.

NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK

A fitting close to Travel and Tourism Planning at Westfield State.  Let us all celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week!

Check out the factsheet.

250 Billion for Food?

Sustainable Travel

One of my weekly news feeds showcased this website.  All good stuff and the one I practice on a daily basis is to carry a cloth bag when I shop so I don't need that bad plastic bag. Yes, we can all become a better traveler.

To learn more, also visit Tourism Geography Today.

Good stuff!

Trump Slump

Trump Slump is the term that travel expert Arthur Frommer has coined to reflect the potential decline in tourism in the states due to the new president's actions.

"Experts across the travel industry are warning that masses of tourists are being scared away from visiting the United States, and the loss of tourism jobs could be devastating."

Well, we will see when I report the stats from The National Travel and Tourism Office at a later date.

Stay tuned.

U.S. Travel and Tourism Exports Total $21 Billion in December

Sounds like a big economic impact right?

"The National Travel and Tourism Office today announced that international visitors spent more than $21.2 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States in December, an increase of nearly three percent ($564 million) when compared to December 2015 - setting a new record for monthly U.S. travel and tourism exports.

International visitors spent a record-setting $247.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2016, an ever-so-slight increase (0.4%) when compared to record levels of spending in 2015; conversely, Americans have spent an estimated $158.9 billion abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of more than $88.2 billion for the year."

For more details see The National Travel and Tourism Office.

Record Travel this weekend?

Well AAA says so.  "AAA projects more than 38 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend. That is the second-highest Memorial Day travel volume on record and the most since 2005. Spurred by the lowest gas prices in more than a decade, about 700,000 more people will travel compared to last year. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, May 26 to Monday, May 30. "

And if you are flying get to the airport today so you can get through TSA Security.  CNN reports heavy air travel. Especially as the number of TSA staff reduce while air travelers increase.

Or you can stay home and enjoy a BBQ!

BnB take beds from Hotels

Seems to be a powerful new partner in the travel and tourism industry.  The BnB, especially the one called https://www.airbnb.com/

This is not with out some concern, since local residents of apartments and houses may not realize their neighbor is actually renting rooms.  This is a particular problem in urban areas with a night life where the temporary tenants return "home" after a late night of partying.  Further there is a concern about lost tax revenue.

But just like the Uber Taxis, the market drives the competition.  But we will likely see some sort of regulation, especially if the big guys (e.g., Intercontinental Hotel Group) feel threatened?