Since the turn of the year until the beginning of March, USA trips have decreased by approximately 30 percent at the travel agency Ticket. But the trend is seen throughout the entire industry.
We see a significant decrease in new bookings, and there are also those who choose to cancel their trips, says Didrik von Seth.
He is convinced that the trend is linked to the political climate and Trump's many controversial statements.
It is the primary reason why people choose other destinations. We saw a similar effect even during Trump's previous term, but not as clear as now.
He also says that those who travel to the USA on vacation often belong to a purchasing-power-strong group. It is not a group that is necessarily affected by recession.
In that way, it becomes apparent that it has to do with the political climate. There are no other clear factors that we can see would play in.
A weaker dollar has, on the other hand, made it cheaper to travel to the USA this year.
"Not what I like"
Tommy Swanson runs the travel agency Swanson's, which specializes in trips to North America. He too links the cooling interest to Trump's various statements.
Trump is not the best ambassador to attract people to the country, says Tommy Swanson.
He has run Swanson's since 1978 and sold countless trips to the USA.
Right now, I do not recognize the USA that I have sold trips to all these years. This is not really what I like.
A survey from the travel agency Ticket shows that approximately every third Swede over 18 years old has less desire to travel to the USA after Trump's latest election victory. And on Ticket's list of the most booked destinations, European destinations top the list.
Even at the travel agency Tui, European destinations top the list. And as for the USA, a downward trend is seen over the past month, with booking levels that are less than half of what they were at the same time last year.
Can persist
That interest in traveling to places decreases during special events or unrest is nothing unusual, according to Didrik von Seth. But when it comes to the USA, he believes that the trend risks persisting.
I have a hard time imagining that interest will return to a normal level within a foreseeable future.
Tommy Swanson is on the same track.
This year, it will probably not return to normal levels.
