Welcome to America
“Renaldo, I think we need to tell the kids.” Margarite meekly suggested.
A long pause ensued as they stared at each other. Finally, Margarite said what they both already knew, “I don’t believe we should go to America for our summer holiday.”
“I’m afraid your right, I am not sure we would be welcomed and as crazy as it sounds, I don’t want to risk dealing with immigration issues even if we are only visiting Disneyworld.”
“Yes, it hardly sounds like the most magical place on earth.”
No longer does the US aspire to the words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, proclaiming to the world, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Reading that proclamation sounds so nostalgic. In fact, we have taken it a step further in our efforts to close ourselves off from the rest of the world and have now removed the welcome mat for tourists. As the summer travel season approached the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, posted a message to all prospective travelers to the US; it was hardly a welcoming sentiment. It read, “Visiting America is not an entitlement. It is a privilege extended to those who respect our laws and values. And, as secretary of state, I will never forget that. U.S. law lays out clear rules about who can and cannot come to the United States. The State Department’s consular officers are required to apply these rules to each of the millions of visa applicants around the world each year. ... We expect — and the law requires — all visa holders to demonstrate their eligibility every day their visa is valid. This includes respecting our laws, behaving appropriately according to their visa type, and continuing to meet these standards throughout their stay in our country.”
Now I am sure to those of you who are hardliners this sounds great. I can hear them now, “We are America dammit and we expect people to toe the line.” Okay fine if that is how you feel but understand that the reaction to our tough stance on foreigners visiting or country, will be, and has become, international travelers choosing to spend their holidays visiting countries that feel more welcoming. And do you blame them?
Combine Rubio’s statement with the aggressive actions and statements made towards, or about, our global friends by the White House, and our seemingly haphazard actions regarding deportations; including erroneously detaining people, and we come off as a country that would rather not have any outsiders. Even if their presence will benefit our economy.
I would have the same reaction as foreign tourist are currently having; say for example Canada suddenly decided to convey an aggressive attitude towards the United States followed by a statement sounding like a hostile environment awaited me on my arrival, I would look for another place to visit. There are a lot of choices, and even if my heart was set on a week in Montreal, I don’t want to be somewhere I am not welcome. If I wanted to be treated with disdain, I could always go to Paris.
The US posture sure sounds tough and menacing, and I guess that is the goal. But what is the unintended consequence of this? More isolation and distance between us and the rest of our friends.
In 2023 international travelers spent a little over $213 billion in the US, that is roughly ten percent of the total revenue -- $2.3 trillion -- generated by the US travel industry. Of note, travel revenue represents about 2.97 percent of the total US GDP.
International visitors represent jobs, and value to the US. We don’t want to lose that important source of income. And yet, we are. Flight bookings for Canadians to the US is down 70% for the summer. According to the U.S. Travel Association each ten percent decline in travelers from Canada represents about $2.1billion in lost revenue. If the 70% trend continues that will be almost fifteen billion dollars in lost revenue from one country who before we tried to make them our fifty-first state, liked us.
Canada citizens aren’t alone; current reports indicate European bookings for US travel are down roughly 25% for the summer. I could go on because this trend is happening across the globe. The United States is no longer an attractive place to visit.
On a positive note, there won’t be as many people for Americans to compete with for hotels, dinner reservations, tickets, and events. We will have the summer all to ourselves as the world continues its path to figuring out how to exist while ignoring us. And that is exactly what is happening; the world seems to have concluded we can’t be trusted; in the eyes of too many, we are no longer the global leader.
To be fair, the administration is committed to immigration reform, as are most Americans and anytime you do something hard there are collateral problems that develop; mistakes are made and not everything goes perfect. I am sympathetic to that challenge. But I have a suggestion.
We would all be better served if the administration stopped trying to sound tough. The macho wing of the Republican party is tiresome. It reminds me of high school. There was always a group who thought they represented the badass gang and everyone had to respect, or fear them, simply because they said so. News flash, the world respected us before we decided to act like bullies. We were admired for our style, culture, and democracy, and yes when needed, our toughness and might.
I don’t believe isolationism is a recipe for success. I don’t think we are better served by shutting down interactions with the rest of the world. I don’t think it is good that people don’t want to travel here. And I don’t think it is inevitable that we remove ourselves from the world stage. What I do know is the need to sound strong and impressive has consequences. To that end, I wanted to offer an alternative way Rubio could communicate to the world.
“As the summer travel season approaches, I want to welcome the world’s tourist to our shores. America is a beautiful country filled with culture, adventure, entertainment, resorts, and landscapes that will capture your imagination. I hope you will make the US a part of your travel plans. If you should arrive this summer, know that we will do everything we can to make your stay pleasant. If you should face any inconvenience due to our national focus on illegal immigration, we will do whatever is necessary to rectify the situation. If you follow our laws on immigration, there will be no challenges. Thank you for your interest in our country. We are excited to see you.”
That wasn’t so hard. If I got a notice from a country that I was about to visit that said something similar, I would be eager to pack my bags.
I don’t pretend to believe the administration is suddenly going to have a change of heart and lead with a positive tone. It doesn’t appear to be in their DNA. But know this, their actions and words will linger and impact or standing in the world for years to come.
I hate this growing problem for our country but there isn’t anything I can do about it. With one exception, whenever I interact with someone from another country, I want to have them see an American who reflects the best qualities of our country and not the petty, childlike rants of a bully who wants to rule the playground.
Happy travels.
