EuroWire May 2017

Transatlantic cable

The popular destinations New York, Los Angeles and Miami are especially susceptible to any declines. According to the Washington-based US Travel Association, during the administration of President Barack Obama the USA saw an increase in international arrivals from 51 million in 2006 to nearly 78 million in 2015. These statistics prompted a coda to Mr Bachman’s article: “Some of that may be attributable to Brand USA, a marketing organisation formed by Obama’s Commerce Department to help sell America as an international travel destination.”

Keeping that level high is what Bloomberg describes as “a steady drumbeat of news and policy proclamations” seeming likely to damage the $250 billion American travel industry and its roughly 15 million USA employees. For example: † Unpleasant initial contacts between the USA president and leaders of Australia, Germany, Mexico and China, resulting in negative publicity “in countries that send lots of travellers to America”; † Two majority-Muslim-nation travel bans, with protests and news coverage “that made for a global public relations disaster.” The rst ban, suspended by the courts, resulted in the detention of foreign travellers and airport chaos. The second, somewhat altered, ban was frozen before it could take e ect; † An airline cabin restriction on electronic devices for people ying from airports in eight nations; † Following a 6 th March order from the White House to enhance visa screening, the announcement of a State Department policy mandating extra vetting of visa applicants in nations that review US-bound travellers. Noted Mr Bachman, “This includes inspection of social media accounts for some.” The new policy covers nations – among them Brazil, Mexico, China, Argentina, Colombia and South Africa – that generate substantial business and tourist tra c. The USTA estimates that 15 million travellers a year will be a ected. † Market strategy rm Tourism Economics LLC, a unit of Britain’s Oxford Economics, told Bloomberg that Mr Trump’s rhetoric and unpopularity abroad will likely reduce visitor arrivals in the USA by 4.3 million this year.

Notes on steel

† Nucor Corp (Charlotte, North Carolina), announced on 22 nd March that it will be investing $85 million to upgrade the rolling mill at its steel bar mill in Marion, Ohio. Nucor Steel Marion Inc is Ohio’s largest producer of rebar and signpost, capable of producing over 400,000 tons annually. The mill recently marked its 100 th year of steelmaking. † As reported on 27 th March on manufacturing.net by Michael Luciano, Arkansas-based Big River Steel announced its collaboration with the arti cial intelligence company Noodle.ai on what they believe will be the rst “smart” steel mill in the United States. Big River and its San Francisco-based partner de ne a smart factory as one in which AI and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity play an integral role in the majority

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May 2017