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As Foreign Tourists Stay Away, US Retailers Dust Off Their Covid Playbooks

International visits to the US are falling fast due to tariffs and growing tensions between America and the rest of the world. The silver lining for retailers: they’ve been down this road before.
Shoppers in New York City
International tourist visits to the US were down 12 percent year over year in March, according to the Commerce Department. (Getty)
By
BoF PROFESSIONAL

At Bal Harbour Shops, a high-end outdoor mall at the northern tip of Miami Beach, four out of every five visitors are from out of town, and often overseas. While there have been plenty of headlines about Canadians and Europeans cancelling their US travel plans in

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Further Reading

Explainer: What the US-China Trade War Means for Fashion

President Trump’s sky-high tariffs on China, along with the end of the de minimis tax loophole, have left American fashion businesses scrambling. BoF unpacks the challenges ahead as companies try to navigate the situation.

What Happens When the Travel Boom Ends?

Discounted airfare and lower hotel occupancies in recent months signal weakening demand in the vacation economy. For brands that thrived on “revenge travel,” this means pivoting to more versatile products and offering cheaper options.

Executive Memo | An Action Plan for Navigating Trump’s Tariffs

US President Donald Trump’s tariff actions are raising costs for fashion businesses and throwing supply chains into disarray. As his administration prepares a new wave of duties, and other nations retaliate with tariffs of their own, executives have a variety of measures at their disposal to mitigate the impact, from pricing, sourcing and product strategies to financial actions.

About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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