Are US Travel Restrictions Keeping Visitors Away?
美國旅行禁令嚇跑了遊客
America's travel industry says it fears new restrictions on foreign visitors to the United States will harm U.S. tourism.
美國旅遊行業表示， 他們擔心美國對外國遊客的新限制將會傷害美國的旅遊業。
President Donald Trump approved the travel restrictions. They affect people from some Muslim majority nations.
川普總統批准的這份旅行限制影響了一些以穆斯林為主要人口國家的公民。
But online searches for flights to the United States are down in most major nations, not just those affected by the travel order.
但是在大多數主要國家， 飛往美國航班的網路搜索量也在減少， 而不僅僅是受到旅行令影響的這些國家
Some rights groups have criticized the travel restrictions, saying they unfairly target Muslim visitors. The rules led to protests around the country and legal action. U.S. courts have temporarily blocked enforcement of Trump's travel orders.
一些權利團體批評了這項旅行限制， 稱這是不公平對待穆斯林遊客。 這項規定引發了全國各地的抗議和訴訟。 美國法院暫時禁止了川普旅行禁令的執行。
Patricia Rojas-Ungar is with the U.S. Travel Association. She says tourism is a very competitive business. She says the U.S. tourism industry will be hurt if foreigners fear coming to America.
美國旅遊協會的派特麗夏·洛佳斯-安伽爾(Patricia Rojas-Ungar)說，
"Travelers have a choice and, if they feel any concern or anxiety about traveling to a destination, they can very well pick another destination to go."
她說：“旅遊者有選擇權， 如果他們對前往某個目的地旅遊感到擔心或焦慮， 他們完全可以選擇去其它地方。 ”
Rojas-Ungar said even people in countries not covered by the restrictions could be afraid to plan a U.S. trip. She added that worried travelers going elsewhere could affect the economic health of many states.
洛佳斯-安伽爾表示， 即使不在旅行限制範圍內的國家的人們也可能會害怕前往美國旅行。 她補充說， 擔憂的旅客前往其它地方可能會影響美國許多州的經濟健康。
"Travel and tourism is a top economic driver for the U.S. economy. It's a $2.1 trillion dollar industry, and we support 15.1 million American jobs..."
“旅遊觀光是美國經濟的重要驅動力， 這是一個高達21億美元的產業， 支撐著1510萬美國人就業。 ”
Rojas-Ungar added that tourism creates many jobs that cannot be exported. They include positions in restaurants and hotels. She said she hopes the Trump administration will make travel policies clearer in the future.
洛佳斯-安伽爾補充說， 旅遊業創造了很多無法外流的工作崗位， 其中包括餐館和酒店的職位。 她希望川普政府未來能制定更為清晰的旅遊政策。
She would also like to see more efforts by U.S. officials to extend a warmer welcome to visitors.
她也希望看到美國官員採取更多措施熱烈歡迎遊客。
Andrew Coggins studies travel issues. He is a professor at Pace University in New York City. Coggins says the restrictions are likely to keep many foreign visitors and students away because of fears they could face bigotry and prejudice.
安德魯·考金斯(Andrew Coggins)研究旅行問題。 他是紐約佩斯大學的教授。 考金斯表示， 旅行限制可能會讓更多外國遊客和學生離開， 因為他們害怕可能會遇到偏見。
Even if the travel rules keep getting revised, as they did once before, he said the message sent will not be easy to change.
他說， 即使旅行規定像上次一樣繼續修改， 它所傳遞出來的資訊也不容易改變。
"The damage has been done," he said. "I think the resentment is there. It has been generated and it is not going to go away that fast."
他說：“損害已經造成。 我認為憤恨是存在的。 它已經產生， 就不會那麼快消失。 ”
Coggins says New York City alone could see hundreds of thousands fewer visitors and lose millions of dollars.
考金斯表示， 單看紐約市就減少了幾十萬遊客， 損失了數百萬美元。
Juhel Miah, a British citizen and mathematics teacher, brought attention to the issue after he was removed from an airplane. He and a group of students were going to a school trip to America.
朱埃爾.米亞(Juhel Miah)是一位英國公民和數學教師。 他被請下飛機後引起了人們對此問題的注意。 他和一群學生當時參加了校方組織到美國的旅行。
Miah told VOA he is still not sure why he was prevented from visiting the United States.
米亞對美國之音表示， 他仍然不知道為什麼被阻止訪問美國。
"I really think I was being targeted. Is that because of my name? Is that because of the way I look or the color of my skin? Who knows? I do not know."
“我確實認為我受到了區別對待，
He added that many other teachers have contacted him and are considering canceling plans to visit the U.S. with their students.
他補充說， 很多其他老師聯繫過他， 並正在考慮取消跟學生一起訪問美國的計畫。
But he has also received encouraging emails from Americans, including one from a fifth-grader in Atlanta. The teacher said these reactions still make him want to visit America very much.
但他也收到了很多美國人的鼓勵郵件， 包括亞特蘭大一名五年級學生。 這位老師表示， 這些反應讓他仍然非常希望可以訪問美國。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布萊恩·林恩報導。