Trump’s travel ban may be keeping honeymooners closer to home
President Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban travel from several Middle Eastern countries may be forcing couples to rethink their honeymoon destinations.
Trump has proposed two separate immigration bans since taking office in January, both of which were challenged and halted by federal courts. Travel industry leaders have said they worry that the proposed bans are sending the message that the U.S. doesn’t welcome visitors — a message that could hurt the nation’s $2.1-trillion travel industry.
But they might also affect the travel plans of the nation’s newlyweds.
A survey of 400 soon-to-be married couples by an online wedding registry found that 18% say the travel ban has forced them to alter their honeymoon travel plans, and 10% say they are likely to spend less on their trip.
Based on follow-up questions, the wedding registry site Honeyfund found that many couples now worry about traveling abroad because they fear they may have trouble getting back into the U.S. Instead, more couples plan to spend less on the honeymoon and, instead of traveling abroad, will stay closer to home, the survey found.
“Trump’s travel ban was pretty scary for a lot of people,” said Sara Margulis, chief executive and co-founder of Honeyfund.
She noted that newlyweds in the U.S. spend about $12 billion a year, with about 40% of all newlyweds traveling abroad and 60% staying in the U.S. for their honeymoon.
To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
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