Hate crimes, mass shootings impede U.S. international tourism rebound

NEW YORK, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The worsening wave of hate crimes coupled with mass shootings in the United States may present a bigger impediment to its long-term international tourism rebound, a U.S. travel industry news site Skift has reported.

Even without entry test requirements, international travellers are "likely to pause before rushing back to a country where hate crimes and mass shootings are becoming far too commonplace," said the report.

"Social media and news seem to indicate Americans don't feel safe either, so how much safer might tourists feel?" Larissa De Villa, an Australian-Asian IT professional, was quoted as saying.

International arrivals in the United States stood at about 22 million in 2021, down from pre-pandemic levels of 80 million visitors a year. "The road to inbound visitation recovery remains long," it said.