Discover the reasons why travelers are avoiding the U.S., from firearms to politics.

A survey reveals that over 90% of travelers from Southeast Asia believe that the availability of guns in the United States affects their decision to visit the country.

A survey of 6,000 international travelers from six countries found that Hawaii was perceived as the safest state in terms of gun violence, while Texas was considered the least safe, among eight options including New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and Washington D.C.

A survey, conducted by Milieu Insight and commissioned by CNBC Travel, found that 56% of respondents are likely to visit the United States in the near future.

Despite 74% of those who had visited the U.S. at least once before perceiving gun violence as a bigger issue in the country today than in the past, the figure of those who had visited the U.S. at least once before rose to 59%.

According to Antarika Sen, an associate research director at Milieu Insight, firsthand experience can increase awareness of issues but does not necessarily prevent future visits.

Nearly 80% of people said that the likelihood of attending a mass gathering, such as a concert or music festival, would be greatly or moderately affected by the number of guns in the United States.

The survey took place in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand from September 9th to 18th, following the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in July and the second attempt on his life on September 15th.

Country differences

Individuals from Southeast Asia who expressed the greatest worry about gun violence in the US also demonstrated the greatest desire to travel to the country.

While 79% of travelers from Vietnam, 76% from Indonesia, and 76% from the Philippines said their trips were greatly or moderately influenced by the prevalence of guns in the U.S., 73% from Vietnam, 70% from Indonesia, and 69% of those from the Philippines said they are likely to visit in the next few years.

Only 24% of those from Singapore are likely to visit the U.S. soon.

In the United States, two-thirds of respondents disagree with gun ownership, but in Singapore, this percentage rose to 91%.

In contrast to those who are accustomed to low crime in Singapore, only 3% of Singaporeans believe that gun violence in the U.S. is less of a problem than in the past.

Although half of those surveyed have been to the United States, a prior visit did not completely alleviate Singaporeans' concerns about gun violence as it did for other nationalities. Specifically, only 4% of Singaporean respondents said they are "much more likely to visit again as my concerns about gun violence have decreased."

Outcome of the U.S. election

Nearly half of respondents believe the U.S. presidential election may impact their travel plans to the country, with 26% stating it will definitely affect their intentions.

If Donald Trump wins, 23% said they would be less likely to visit, while 9% said the same if Kamala Harris is elected.

Another 5% said they will definitely refuse to visit if Trump wins, while 2% said the same about a Harris victory.

A majority of respondents reported being aware of the term "migrant crime," which was popularized by Trump as part of his anti-immigration campaign. Despite this, evidence from major city police departments indicates that there is no increase in crime committed by migrants in the country.

A significant number of Southeast Asians consider the U.S. a major issue that impacts their decision to visit the country.

Fear of violence and verbal abuse

Significant concerns about physical violence in the U.S. based on race were also expressed by Southeast Asians.

A majority of travelers (75%) expressed concern about experiencing race-based violence, with the highest levels of concern among Filipino respondents (81%). Only 4% of Southeast Asians surveyed were not concerned about physical violence in the country at all.

The respondents expressed similar levels of worry about experiencing race-related verbal abuse.

The threat of physical and verbal abuse has increased among Southeast Asians since the Covid-19 pandemic, with two-thirds of them agreeing that it is a "much bigger issue" or "somewhat more of an issue than before."

Since the pandemic, only 11% of people feel that the problems have decreased.

According to Southeast Asians, social media (61%) is their primary source of information about safety and crime in the United States, with international news (55%) coming in second.

""Countries that are more dependent on social media tend to have greater concerns about racial violence," stated Sen. Milieu Insight. In this regard, the Philippines, with a 66% reliance on social media, stands out as the country with the highest level of concern for racial violence."