Quarter of UK holidaymakers less likely to visit the US while Donald Trump is president

More than a quarter (27%) of UK holidaymakers say they are less likely to visit the United States while Donald Trump is president.

And just 6% of people say they’re more likely to book a trip across the pond while the controversial president is in the White House.

The figures are the findings of a survey published to mark the opening of trade show World Travel Market (WTM) at the Excel exhibition centre in east London, which polled 1,025 holidaymakers and 1,622 travel trade executives.

The research also found that 40% of travel trade executives disagree that America “is a country to do business with” while Mr Trump is in power. Around one in six (16%) say he has had the biggest impact on their organisation in the past year.

The survey findings are not the first to suggest that Mr Trump’s election is affecting tourist travel to the US.

Online travel firm Kayak reported a 30% fall in searches for flights to the US when the result of the presidential election was confirmed in November last year.

A drop-off in tourism will result in 4.3 million fewer visitors to the US this year, worth 7.4 billion US dollars (£5.7 billion) in lost revenue, the Global Business Travel Association has predicted.

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WTM London spokesman Paul Nelson said: “There is now clear evidence that some people are being put off visiting the US and some of travel’s top executives are concerned about the Trump effect on their businesses.

“The US is one of the world’s key destinations and has long been popular among Brits. It is important that America gets the message out that not only is it still open for visitors but that it continues to be a warm, welcoming and great value destination.”

In January Mr Trump introduced an executive order banning visitors from seven Muslim countries, sparking controversy and a challenge in the courts.

The president argued the measure, which came hours after Theresa May became the first foreign leader to meet him in the Oval Office, was necessary for security reasons.