Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015, and ever since then foot traffic to his branded hotels, casinos and golf courses in the U.S. has declined, according to a report by Foursquare.
In August 2015, foot traffic to all Trump-branded properties dropped 17 percent from August 2014. For a few months after that, the losses stabilized at single digits. However, once primary voting season peaked in March 2016, the properties’ losses were back down to 17 percent; the properties did not benefit from the usual jump in springtime travelers and local visitors. And last month, Trump properties share of visits declined 14 percent compared to July 2015.
Trump SoHo, Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago and Trump Taj Mahal were the hardest hit, down 17-24 percent in foot traffic in 2016 versus 2015. The Trump Taj Mahal will close after Labor Day; officials said the closure is due to an employee strike, but the drop in foot traffic may be playing a larger role.
The Foursquare report also analyzed foot traffic in “blue” states versus “red” states. Foot traffic losses in Trump’s blue state properties in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Hawaii have surpassed the national average, with a drop in visits beginning in March and lasting through July, when share fell 20 percent compared to July 2015.
Trump blue state properties also have experienced a double-digit drop in women visitors, with a 29 percent drop starting in March 2016 and running through July.
From March through May, when Trump was fighting to secure the nomination, fewer people visited Trump “purple” state properties in Las Vegas and Miami. Visitation at those locations increased from -20 percent share in June to -3 percent in July following the Republican National Convention.
The economic impact of these results Trump himself may be minimal, since many Trump-branded properties are licensed and have different owners.
