Louisiana Tourism Faces Major Hit as International Travel Plummets

SHREVEPORT, LA - There is a bit of a panic in the air in Louisiana and other states that depend heavily on tourism dollars. All the latest data shows travelers from other countries are making the decision not to visit the United States right now.

Significant Drop in Canadian Visitor Numbers

Experts are seeing a dramatic trend downward for travel to the U.S. Canada is one of the countries with significantly lower numbers. Last year, more than 20 million Canadian tourists visited the US. Canada is the number one country sending guest to our states. Those guests spent more than $20 billion dollars in the U.S. last year. But that number is expected to decline dramatically.

Louisiana's Importance to Canadian Tourists and Economic Impact

Louisiana is one of the key states Canadians want to visit. They want to see the Cajun and Creole roots that have ties to Canada. The tourism money from Canada supports more than 140 thousand jobs in the U.S.

Broader Trend of International Travelers Avoiding the U.S.

Many Canadians have decided to boycott travel to the U.S. But Canada is not alone. Tourists from other countries are also rethinking plans for global travel. Instead of visiting the U.S., they are choosing other locations for vacations this year.

READ MORE: Louisiana Ranks Last in Nation

Potential Reasons for the Tourism Decline

Analysts point to policies put in place on tariffs as one reason for the decision to bail out on traveling to the U.S. The overall decline could top 5%.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser tells KEEL News Canada is easily the number one country for visitors coming in to visit Louisiana. He says he has seen cancellations beginning to pile up. And there is concern that could impact tourism dollars flowing into the Bayou State.

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One Wall Street firm is projecting the U.S. could lose as much as $90 billion this year from reduced travel.

Canadians are not happy about President Trump's comments saying he would like to see Canada become the “51st state.”

The National Travel and Tourism Office says visitors from Western Europe are also pulling back on travel to the U.S. Those numbers could be down by nearly 30%.

Impact on Louisiana's Economy

Last year, Louisiana brought in more than $18.1 billion in visitor spending. That resulted in almost $2 billion dollars in local and state tax dollars.

Tourism is a major part of the Louisiana economy. The hospitality and leisure industry is the 4th largest employer in the state. Visitors typically come to Louisiana for entertainment, music and dining experiences along with shopping and spending time with family and friends.