04/04/2025

FRIDAY | APR 4, 2025

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

24

LYFE

I N just a few weeks, the US tourism outlook has clouded as a result of some of President Donald Trump’s policy decisions, which have angered some foreign visitors and prompted fear of a surge in prices and a stronger dollar. Foreign traveller arrivals in the US are expected to decline by 5.1% in 2025 compared with last year, against a previously projected increase of 8.8%, Tourism Economics said in a report published last month. Their spending is expected to slide 10.9%. Since the report’s publication, “the situation has deteriorated further”, and the outcome will likely be even worse, Tourism Economics president Adam Sacks said, citing the effects of antipathy towards the US. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has slapped tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China – and threatened to impose them on the EU. A sweeping plan to curb immigration has intensified. Government bodies such as the US Agency for International Development have been decimated, thousands of civil servants from lawyers to park rangers have been laid off and Trump has drawn up controversial plans for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. “A situation with polarising Trump administration policies and rhetoric will discourage travel to the US. “Some organisations will feel pressure to avoid hosting events in the US or sending employees to the US, cutting into business travel,” said Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of Oxford Economics. The World Tourism Forum Institute said a mix of stringent immigration policies, strong dollar and global political tensions could significantly affect international arrivals, “potentially reshaping the nation’s tourism sector for years to come”. Among residents of 16 European and Asian countries surveyed by YouGov in December, 35% of respondents said they were less likely to come to the US under Trump, while 22% were more likely. For tourists from France, Uzbekistan and Argentina interviewed by media in New York’s Times Square, Trump’s stance has not upended their plans. Marianela Lopez and Ailen Hadjikovakis, both 33, nevertheless

Tourists from Western Europe, who made up 37% of visitors in 2024, are the most likely to choose other destinations, along with Canadians and Mexicans. The US Travel Association warned in early February that customs tariffs would deter Canadians, the largest contingent of foreign tourists in the US with 20.4 million in 2024. According to Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians returning from the US fell 23% in February year-on-year, the second consecutive monthly decline. In New York, which welcomed 12.9 million foreign travellers in 2024, the effect is already noticeable, with Canadians cancelling tour bookings and a drop in online searches for hotels or Broadway shows, NYC Tourism president Julie Coker revealed. She lowered her forecast for the year in February but said so far, only Canadians are saying no to Trump’s America. “We are not currently seeing anything from the UK or Europe”, because it is too early, she said. “We are definitely watching that very closely.” But British and German authorities have just warned their nationals to be extra vigilant with their travel documents, citing the risk of arrest. United Airlines has noted a “big drop” in travel from Canada to the US as well as a decline in demand for domestic travel, as have several competitors. According to Tourism Economics, the tourism sector could lose about US$64 billion (RM284 billion) in revenue this year due to the decline in international and domestic travel. Americans now appear frozen by the economic outlook, and terms such as recession and inflation also scare tourists, along with the risk of a stronger greenback, experts pointed out. “This will make the US more expensive for inbound travelers, dampening visitor volume and average length of stay,” noted Tourism Economics. Professionals also fear the effects of tightening immigration policy on major sports events hosted by the US, such as the Ryder Cup (2025), FIFA World Cup (2026) and the 2026 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. – AFP

Foreign traveller arrivals in the US are expected to decline by 5.1% in 2025, compared with last year. – AFPPIC Tourists shun America o Visitors avoid country after Donald Trump’s polarising policies

used their European passports rather than their Argentine ones to avoid any problems at the border. “We were a bit scared about the situation, but we did not change our plans,” said Lopez. The Lagardere family, who came from France, said it had not impacted their plans either. The Americans “elected this president. It is democracy. If they are not happy, they will change it in four years,” said Laurent Lagardere, 54. “He is who he is” and avoiding the US “will not change anything”, Lagardere added. Some 77.7 million foreign tourists were expected in 2024, up 17% year on-year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, which does not yet have final figures for last year.

Trump’s policies have cast a shadow across the American tourist industry. – PIC FROM FACEBOOK @DONALDJTRUMP

Sporting events such as the Ryder Cup may be affected by the downturn in tourist arrivals. – PIC FROM FACEBOOK @RYDERCUP

Winter lake creates Saudi watersports oasis Zulfi’s lake, more than 200km northwest of the capital Riyadh, appears every winter, giving desert dwellers the chance to take part in a sport usually associated with seaside resorts. THE ear-splitting roar of his jet ski fills the air as Hamza al-Hamm thunders past, kicking up plumes of water – not at the beach, but in the heart of the Saudi Arabian desert. Sand-caked SUVs ring the

The lake, surrounded by sand dunes near the small desert city of Zulfi, lasts only about three months a year. – AFPPIC

temporary lake, formed by winter rains, as Hamm zips across the impromptu watersports centre doing doughnuts. Women in the traditional face covering niqab sit on rugs by the shore, watching the action. The lake, surrounded by sand dunes near the small desert city of Zulfi, lasts only about three months a year. “One day, my friends challenged me to ride a jet ski,” said Hamm, who started out on a borrowed machine. Since then he has bought his own, gradually becoming one of a rare breed – an expert jet-skier who lives in the desert.

The rare phenomenon draws not only locals such as Hamm, in his 40s, but also visitors from as far away as Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Meshaal al-Otaibi, who came with a caravan from the Saudi town of Taif, more than 700km away, said he had to see the lake for himself. “When I heard about the lake on YouTube, about people gathering there and water activities, I could not resist,” he said. Zulfi, which sits in a dip between sand dunes and mountains, “is an ideal trap for rainfalls pouring over the mountains”, according to scientist Alain Gachet. “That is why the lake is seasonal in

Zulfi, which is located on the deepest part of this depression,” said Gachet, whose French-based company Radar Technologies International specialises in untapped natural resources.

When it forms, the lake offers a welcome respite in a country where intense heat limits outdoor activities for much of the year. Issam Hamad, another Saudi who

was visiting with his family, said it was relaxing just to be outside. “Some watch, others do watersports” but everyone enjoys the fresh air, he said. – AFP