Tourism

Gun Violence Creates a Troubling New Reality for U.S. Tourism’s Hard Sell

Lebawit Lily Girma
crowd march against gun violence use

Photo Credit: The rise in mass shootings and hate crimes in the U.S. may well impact its international visitation rebound. Unsplash / Chip Vincent

Skift Take

Even without entry test requirements, travelers are likely to pause before rushing back to a country where hate crimes and mass shootings are becoming far too commonplace. How will the U.S. travel industry tackle one of the greatest potential threats to its recovery of international travel?

”Breaking news: USA hoping to increase tourism with gifts at border entries!” reads the headline on a sketch of a U.S. border patrol officer handing over a jacket to a visitor sitting in his car. “Welcome to America. Here’s your complimentary bulletproof vest.”  

Granted it’s a meme, on Twitter, and it’s no laughing matter.

But the message evokes a stark reality: the country’s worsening wave of hate crimes combined with mass shootings — this year is on pace to beat last year’s record — may present a bigger impediment to America’s long-term international tourism rebound and competitiveness than any pesky Covid entry protocol.

While it’s true that gun violence didn’t sway opinions to visit the U.S. in the past, that consume