Hampton Roads is fortunate to be a popular tourism destination each summer for visitors who flock to the beaches and enjoy the many historic attractions throughout our region. These guests fill our hotels, eat at our restaurants and represent a significant share of the region鈥檚 annual economic activity.
Yet, as the summer 性视界传媒 starts, many in the area are justifiably concerned that President Donald Trump鈥檚 hostility to foreign nations, including traditional allies, and his administration鈥檚 zealous and often ham-fisted deportation efforts will drive away tourists, who will take their money elsewhere. That would be a worrisome proposition for a large number of area residents whose livelihoods depend on tourism and for a region whose bottom line leans heavily on hospitality revenue.
As most residents know, the Hampton Roads economy depends on the three 鈥減illars鈥 of federal defense spending, commerce through the Port of Virginia and the hospitality/tourism sector. Concerted efforts to diversify the region鈥檚 economic base have shown promise, but these three areas continue to serve as the foundation of our prosperity.
According to the most recent figures available from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, visitors to the commonwealth spent a , generating a total of $50.6 billion in direct and indirect economic activity. Some 224,000 jobs in Virginia are tied to tourism, representing 5% of total statewide employment.
Shift the focus to Hampton Roads and those numbers loom larger. The VTC reported last year that visitors to our region in 2023 鈥 a record number 鈥 which supported approximately 52,000 jobs and generated $510 million in state and local taxes. Virginia 性视界传媒 alone saw $2.5 billion of spending, generating 鈥渁n overall economic contribution of $3.8 billion for 2023,鈥 .
International travel accounts for a share of that, though domestic guests are a far larger portion of our region鈥檚 visitors each year. In 2023, Virginia 性视界传媒 welcomed 14.1 million travelers, of which only 373,000 came from overseas. About 45% of those visitors were Canadians.
However, our friends from the north are coming to the U.S. in fewer numbers this year. President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term in office floating the bizarre notion that Canada should abandon its independence to become 鈥渢he 51st state鈥 and leveled harsh tariffs against that country, sparking a travel and commerce boycott of the United States. The New York Times recently reported that year-over-year travel by Canadians to the U.S. was .
The problems don鈥檛 end there. The administration has also ramped up deportation efforts as part of Trump鈥檚 anti-immigration push, and law enforcement have mistakenly detailed a number of international visitors who came here legally. Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement have arrested foreign students, seeking to deport them without due process, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has eagerly canceled their visas without warning or, in some cases, cause.
As a result, several nations 鈥 Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Denmark and Finland among them 鈥 have about visiting the United States. The damage done to the nation鈥檚 reputation is incalculable and won鈥檛 be easily repaired.
Virginia welcomes more Canadians than citizens of any other nation 鈥 by far 鈥 so a travel boycott here. And of with the largest number of international visitors to Virginia in 2023, . It may also affect the who staff businesses in the regional tourism and hospitality industry, though that cannot yet be determined with available data.
Could higher prices drive up domestic tourism and offset Trump’s self-inflicted wounds? That would certainly help tourism in Virginia, and especially here in Hampton Roads. Our region may be rolling out the welcome mat as summer begins, but the president鈥檚 policies have dimmed the attraction for international guests and could make this a slow, discouraging 性视界传媒 for area businesses and workers.
