The historic 43-day shutdown of U.S. government services, which occurred between October 1 and November 12, dealt an unprecedented economic blow to the tourism sector, with total losses estimated at $6.1 billion, according to a rigorous study published by the U.S. Travel Association in partnership with Tourism Economics.
In a detailed analysis authored by Joshua Friedlander, the organization’s vice president of research, it appears that the United States experienced a sharp drop in travel, with an average of 88,000 fewer trips per day, thus reducing direct travel spending by $2.7 billion, a decrease of 1.7%. over the overall period.
This administrative paralysis, described by Friedlander as « costly, disruptive, and unnecessary, » has particularly penalized the 15 million jobs supported by this vital industry, severely impacting business travel, which is the main driver of this financial collapse.
Estimates indicate a shortfall of one billion dollars for business flights and nearly 1.3 billion dollars for other forms of business travel, while air traffic disruptions and flight delays alone generated an additional cost of 183.3 million dollars.
Beyond the raw figures, the study highlights devastating indirect effects, ranging from the closure of national parks and iconic tourist attractions to a profound erosion of traveler confidence, not to mention the logistical uncertainty weighing on government employees and contractors.
For experts, this assessment underscores the absolute urgency for Congress to guarantee business continuity and the payment of essential workers, in order to protect a sector that remains one of the major pillars of American economic growth and whose fragility in the face of political gridlock is now being quantified in an alarming way.