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Pillar Of The Community
Netherlands
5536 Posts |
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It has nothing to do with Easter. People do not book Easter holidays in March. Also,most holidays are booked online and online does not close for Easter.
The holiday that most people are away from home for is not Easter, but what is called the May Holiday, that is at the end of April or beginning of May. This year, it coincided with the Easter Weekend. Last year, it did not.
A Sunday, or 2 days, off for only part of the employed people does not account for 30% of leisure bookings in the month of March.
People travelling to the USA now for leisure, mostly, will have bought their tickets end 2024, or in the first two months of 2025. Those arriving for business may have booked slightly later, but the majority will have booked during Q1. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1791 Posts |
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That's fine. I'm still not worried because the data overall shows the Dutch attitude isn't representative. Only it, Canada, Germany, and Ecuador are down more than 10%. Argentina bookings soared almost 40%, perhaps buoyed by that country's economic reforms, and Ireland, Japan, Portugal, and Spain all are up 8% or more. Overall US bookings are down only 2% considering all worldwide visitors. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
11814 Posts |
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Quote:
I went to Jordan in 2016 at a time of great instability in the region from ISIS; Americans were largely staying away based on the news headlines, even though Jordan itself was perfectly safe and tranquil. It was rather surreal to roam around Petra pretty much by myself, running across the occasional Russian tourist. Those who worked in hospitality were desperate for my business as it was very slow, and they all reported that Americans were staying well away.
Yes, I had done my homework and assessed that the odds of anything bad happening to me were virtually nil. But in tourism, perception is reality. Love Petra! Been there a few times. I spent much time in Jordan from 2005 through 2009 during the Iraq war. My primary hotel was the Grand Hyatt that was the target of a suicide bomber in 2005. Life went on. You can't compare Jordan to the US enforcing laws already on the books. I will say, and you should know, that you are not going to enter Jordan casually and stay wherever you want for however long you want. You will need a visa even if a transit chit and your passport will be scanned at your lodging. |
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Valued Member
United States
270 Posts |
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You can't compare Jordan to the US enforcing laws already on the books. I will say, and you should know, that you are not going to enter Jordan casually and stay wherever you want for however long you want. You will need a visa even if a transit chit and your passport will be scanned at your lodging. Stayed at the Grand Hyatt as well - really loved Amman. I'm not comparing the US' border policies with those of Jordan; the point I tried to make is that negative headlines, whether warranted or not, have a chilling effect on tourism. Americans stayed away from Jordan even though it was safe; more Europeans are staying away from the US even though the rules haven't changed. My fingers are crossed that the situation improves somewhat in time for the show, but a lot of folks will be making their bookings well in advance, and we're only a year out at this point. My expectation is that the discretionary hassling some have experienced at the borders will have an adverse impact on attendance. To your point, we'll see who's right in a year's time. |
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Pillar Of The Community
767 Posts |
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Despite being the typical provincial American, I always thought that Europeans were more sophisticated and thoughtful. However, if the reactions reflected by some of the comments here are widespread across the pond, I may have to rethink that impression. I would be amazed if a great many Europeans are being repulsed by the thought that the U.S. is actually vigorously enforcing borders like most of the countries in the world have routinely been doing for decades and/or are alarmed by the sensationalist two-month-old stories of folks being hassled. I certainly hope for the sake of the 2026 show and tourism businesses in general that the prevalence of this attitude is overstated and, where it does exist, calms down. We visited Turkey right after some terrorist bombings and in the midst of Ertegun asserting his authority. but had no qualms about the possibility of encountering adverse events governed by statistically insignificant probabilities. Had a wonderful time. Again, I would be very surprised if large number of Europeans are being influenced by stories that are usually found in such reputable sources as Fox and the National Enquirer. |
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Valued Member
Switzerland
383 Posts |
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Oracle: Here is the thing:
A Swiss family has just been refused re-entry to the States. They had been traveling a few weeks, bought a van in Florida and moved to Canada for a few weeks to see stuff. When they tried to get back to Florida and fetch their van, they were refused entry WITHOUT ANY REASON STATED by immigration. The Swiss embassy confirmed everything was ok. Then the blame game started with the American embassy who was no help whatsover and apparently gave lame adivces. US immigration still refused to answer to this day (apparently even to the American embassy - the Swiss embassy's requests and the family's requests were ignored wholesale).
So oracle, this is not FoxNews, this is real life as it is happening at the US border right now. What do you call a country that simply ignores laws and whose border agents behave like they don't need to follow any laws? Are you beginning to see why people simply decide to cancel US holidays? |
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| Edited by drkohler - 05/14/2025 4:01 pm |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3420 Posts |
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I am surprised at all the discussion about warning for travelers to Boston for the 2026 International Stamp Show. The area is peaceful and understanding. Later this month in the city of Providence, state capitol of Rhode Island, in a show of welcoming and supporting diversity, it will be flying the Palestinian Flag over the grand city hall building. That should indicate how welcoming the area is for European visitors. Like Boston just 41 miles away, the civic government very Democrat controlled and in disagreement with the current US administration. They are very welcoming to visitors from anywhere in the world. It is just a reasonable step forward as the flag has ready been approved to be and is being hung in the city counsel chambers. https://www.abc6.com/palestinian-fl...e-city-hall/ |
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Valued Member
Switzerland
383 Posts |
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It is not about Boston at all. It is about reports of random people being randomly rejected by immigration officers (and the list is growing day by day). "We" Europeans get the impression that there are customs officers that show preemptive obedience in order to please Orangehead by randomly rejecting visitors (all of which have all the required documents as is reported in the press). Or, and this is how conspiracy theories emerge, that there are "rejection quotas" in play.
There is no question that Boston will welcome any tourists, the question is the current behaviour of customs officers. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
11814 Posts |
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there are customs officers that show preemptive obedience in order to please Orangehead by randomly rejecting visitors A great example of how we rocket towards a locked topic when otherwise intelligent and mature forum members disregard that referring to POTUS as "Orangehead" may be seen as disrespectful to other members. If we are being honest, based upon the election results you can statistically assume that to be the case. It is still stunning to see adults turn into 15 year old mean girls. Can we control ourselves enough to at least keep the topic open? Besides, the entire narrative of random rejection is just another in a boringly long line of stories surrounding the current POTUS that are later shown to be inaccurate at best and fabricated at worst. |
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Valued Member
United States
270 Posts |
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I do agree that we seem to be headed towards a shutdown of this thread, which would be unfortunate.
Let's just stick to the facts that are relevant for the 2026 show. There has been a noticeable decline in foreign visitors to the US this year, with the commonly cited reason being changes in border enforcement. None of us should be in this thread to debate whether those changes are good or bad, or if they're justified, etc. - the decision to change things has been made, and the relevant agencies have posted numbers showing a decline in visitors.
I'd be curious to hear and discuss the potential implications of this for the show, especially given how hard many folks are working to make it a success. And to be clear, I want nothing more than the show in my home town to be nothing short of a smashing success. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
11814 Posts |
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Going to be just fine. Quote:
United States international travel saw a noticeable increase in April 2025, as new data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) reveals a continued rebound in global air traffic. Passenger volumes not only surpassed last year's totals but also exceeded pre-pandemic levels in several key segments.
International Air Passenger Volumes Continue Upward
Total U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements in April 2025 reached 22.116 million—an increase of 2.8% compared to April 2024. Even more notably, this figure marks 104.95% of the enplanement volume recorded in April 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global travel.
This growth reflects both a recovery in inbound travel to the United States and a surge in outbound travel by American citizens. Here's how the numbers break down:
Non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals from abroad totaled 5.040 million, up 2.9% from April 2024. This equates to 88.2% of April 2019 levels.
Overseas visitor arrivals to the U.S. totaled 3.047 million, up 8.0% year-over-year, and representing 85.6% of April 2019 levels.
U.S. citizen air passenger departures to foreign destinations totaled 5.919 million, a 6.2% increase from April 2024—exceeding April 2019 figures by a staggering 24.7%.
 https://ftnnews.com/travel-news/tou...-april-2025/ |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
7888 Posts |
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Has there been any talk about the getting together during the BOSTON 2026 Show . |
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Valued Member
United States
166 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
166 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3420 Posts |
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https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...-2025-05-19/Shorts in a bunch over four tourists detained and released back home. Of course, they claim nothing they did was wrong, it was the fault of the USA's current administration. Four, get many posts here. I wonder how many 10s of thousands or hundreds of thousand are being affect in Spain? |
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Replies: 90 / Views: 8,283 |
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Posted 05/12/2025 2:04 pm
