Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies are being blamed for putting Europeans off from vacationing in the U.S.. Sebastian Ebel, chief executive of Tui, Europe’s largest travel operator, said there has been a “significant decline” in people travelling from the continent to the U.S., and believes he can pin that on the president. Speaking to The Guardian, Ebel said concerns about the “atmosphere” in the country since Trump returned to the White House, and “what you hear from border control” are key factors in why Europeans are shunning the U.S. Instead, they are opting to go to the northern neighbor, Canada, or deciding that countries in Asia or Africa would be better long-haul destinations. The comments from Ebel come even as American citizens are targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. There are also multiple foreign nationals ending up in detention centres while trying to cross the U.S./Canada border. In May, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that the U.S. would lose around $12.5 billion from its foreign tourism industry this year due to backlash from Trump and his policies.
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