Another ‘Trump slump’? What the US election result means for travel

Travel Counsellor Marie Rowe agreed. She said she typically sells US city breaks and road trips, and admitted the ramifications of a Trump victory "had crossed my mind”.

“I think that people will initially be cautious about booking the US," she said. "Normally clients would tend to book their US breaks in January so time will tell."

She added: "But I do think it will give people pause for thought – especially the LGBTQ+ community and people of colour.”

However, Rowe acknowledged the wider geo-political situation might yet impact clients’ decisions. “Given what’s going on in the rest of the world, especially in the Middle East, I do think ultimately that the US will still be popular due to a lack of alternatives."

Other agents were more optimistic, suggesting the US election result was unlikely to affect their businesses.

Graeme Brett, owner of South Shields-based Westoe Travel, said that while he was surprised at the result, he didn’t anticipate it having an impact. “Nobody seems to have mentioned it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Phil Nuttall, owner of Blackpool-based Travel Village, added: “History tells me the ruling power of a country doesn’t influence most people’s decision on whether to visit that destination”.

Another ‘Trump slump’?

When Trump was first named president back in 2016, “the country witnessed a so-called "Trump slump" as tourists stayed away.

In 2017, the US saw a 2% drop in arrivals as Trump’s ban on travel for people from certain Middle East countries began to bite.

And even by 2018, data released by ForwardKeys showed bookings in the first two months of the year were effectively flat to the destination following a fall of 0.02%.