Air bookings from China to the United States are down 8.4%
since the end of March, when the U.S. began imposing tariffs on China, reports
flight data analyzer ForwardKeys.
ForwardKeys says group travel has taken the biggest hit.
The data indicates that weekly bookings from China to the
U.S. had been up 2% from the last week of February through March 23, when the
first tariffs took effect.
Since March 23, however, bookings have fallen 8.4%, and are
falling further as new tariffs are considered, ForwardKeys found. The company
also said that the negative impact on the Chinese currency, down 7.5% against
the dollar since the tariffs were introduced, and warnings from Beijing about
U.S. travel security risks have contributed to the decrease.
Forward bookings from China to the U.S. for the rest of 2018
are down 9.6%, while Chinese bookings to the rest of the world are up 5%. For
example, Chinese bookings for travel to Canada were up 4.8% through the end of
July and are currently up 8% for August to December.
The biggest impact has been on bookings for group travel
(six or more passengers) from China to the U.S. For the rest of 2018, group
travel is down 34.4% compared to last year, ForwardKeys said. FIT bookings are
behind 3.9%, with leisure travel being more negatively affected than business
travel or travel to visit friends and relatives.