OUR NOVEMBER GROUP IN TEHRAN’S CARPET MUSEUM
Whatever your politics, you might worry about the image of Americans with Trump as President. During the 60’s the Dollar was king, the elite traveled; Americans were new rich tourists aka The Ugly Americans. During the 70’s we stayed in hostels flyew on charter flights. If it was Tuesday it was Belgium. In the 80’s we flooded Europe and SE Asia many with first passports. In the 90’s overseas travel started in college with junior years abroad. 2000’s tourists went to new countries in Eastern Europe, did volunteer tourism and adult study programs. What happens now? Should you be scared?
Having just returned from Iran with our group, the UK and Mexico, I can share with you what people said. In a nutshell: We love Americans and want you to keep coming. It is politicians who make the problems. Their weapons are newspapers and television. As we traveled in Iran, strangers came up to our group every place every day: Where are you from? As soon as we said United States, they smiled and always, I stress always, responded: Welcome back. Some added Welcome back ‘after 35 years’. ‘We missed you’. In the UK they said, ‘we don’t understand your country, but we don’t understand ours either’. In Mexico, they wanted us to bring back the message, we are neighbors and fiercely proud of Mexico, working hard to improve our family’s lives and our country’s future.
So what does the media say about being a tourist with Trump as our ‘brand’.
The dollar is at a decade’s high, making travel cheaper and airline tickets lower. The extremely high dollar has slashed meals, gifts, fees. Cost is the top factor influencing travel.
Infrastructure investment will improve airports but might increase costs overall. Personally I’ll pay a few more dollars for a shorter ladies’ room line.
Foreign airlines like Emirates or Norway are competitively priced; if Trump cuts back on their routes, expect airfare increases by our monopolistic airlines.
If we impose travel restrictions on other countries, they are likely to retaliate with visa fees like ones we already pay in Brazil. (PS we always notify you and help with visas). Again this is retaliation from above, not from people you will meet.
Travel agents think it is early to determine effects from a Trump President, most agree that again the strong dollar is the main factor in an expected increase in 2017.
Travel News from The Women’s Travel Group with upcoming tours to Mexico City, Tuscany for Cooking, Puebla for eating, and South Africa for seeing.
Contact us for a spot on Mexico City in March, South Africa and Puebla and Ixtapan Spa in February, Tuscany in April: Phyllis@thewomenstravelgroup.com or 646 309 5607
PS we do not use Trump Hotels and will probably never use them. In case you wanted to know.
