Will Donald Trump tarnish the allure of the US for Aussie travellers?

AMERICA’S new president could be the best thing to happen for our inbound tourism industry — but what effect will he have on Aussies heading to the USA?

DONALD Trump’s presidency could be a stimulus for record numbers of Americans to visit Australia.

US visitors poured down under in record numbers last year — a trend that is not expected to change when Trump moves into the White House.

The US Tour Operators Association has forecast further growth in sales of trips and packages in 2017, with Australia high on the list of “aspirational destinations”.

And tourism lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney David Beirman said he expected Trump’s presidency to be “a big stimulus for Americans to come here”.

Professor Beirman said while Trump had threatened to scrap the visa waiver program that granted a host of countries including Australia easy entry to the US, he did not think that would actually happen.

Tourism industry expert David Beirman.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see the distinction between what he’s promised to do and what actually gets delivered,” Professor Beirman said.

“In the US, the President has a lot of checks and balances. He alone can’t make big decisions.

“There’s executive privileges of course but most of the decisions have to be passed by Congress and the Senate and whether they’re actually loyal to Trump is another issue.”

Ahead of the billionaire businessman’s inauguration, Australian Federation of Travel Agents’ CEO Jayson Westbury said travellers would be watching President Trump closely.

“If there are some irrational un-American decisions that Australians identify then I think you could see a bit of a kneejerk reaction against the US as a travel destination,” said Mr Westbury.

“But short of banning Australians I can’t see Trump’s inauguration being a significant deterrent.

“You would think he’s got other things to worry about then tourists travelling to and from Australia.”

Australians’ love of the US is unlikely to be tarnished by Trump’s presidency. Picture: iStock

Not even the weaker Australian dollar deterred Aussies from flocking to the US in the year to November, with visitors increasing six per cent to 1.06 million.

CEO of travel research site Trip.com, Travis Katz, said Adelaide topped their list of “2017 Rising Stars” due to the balance of culture and adventure on offer.

“Adelaide has a pristine nature reserve, three national parks, historic churches and the Barossa Valley wine region,” said Mr Katz.

Sydney is rated as Booking.com’s top international destination for 2017. Picture: iStock

Furthermore, Sydney led Booking.com’s list of best international destinations for its beaches and attractions such as the Sydney Opera House and Taronga Zoo.

US airports could be busier than ever if predictions of Americans flocking overseas following Trump’s inauguration are right. Picture: AFP/Ringo Chiu

Professor Beirman added: “The markets could be volatile for a while and that’s of concern but as it happens the exchange rate is in favour of the US dollar rather than the Australian dollar.”

“That could be another reason for people to come.”