International travelers cite politics as factor in US trips

NEW YORK (AP) — Some international travelers are citing politics as a factor in whether to visit the U.S. this year, according to survey research by the tourism marketing agency Brand USA.

Travelers from India, Japan, Brazil and South Korea were the least sensitive to the U.S. political climate as a factor against visiting, but their likelihood of visiting also decreased over the three-month period, just less dramatically than the others.

When international travelers were asked in December and again in February "what if any impact the political climate has on their likelihood to visit the U.S. ... over the course of time we saw an increase in that as a reason for people being discouraged from visiting the U.S.," she said.

International arrivals to the U.S. last year experienced the first sustained decline since the U.S. economy began to recover from the recession, according to newly released and revised arrivals data from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office.

Brand USA adjusts its marketing strategies in response to survey trends in an effort to make travelers feel secure about concerns that might prevent a visit.