The United States is one of the world's biggest travel destinations. More than 72 million people came to America last year, nearly half of them on tourist visas. The country's massive tourism industry has been booming in the post-COVID years, creating more than $1.3 trillion in spending in 2024.
But America’s role in the world has changed dramatically since President Trump returned to the White House. There are early signs that his controversial policies and adversarial approach to other countries may be dampening travelers’ enthusiasm for visiting the U.S.
Overseas tourist travel into the U.S. was down 5% in February, the first full month of Trump's second term, compared to the previous year, according to federal government data.
While the global travel industry is far too complex to attribute that drop-off entirely to Trump, there have been numerous reports quoting foreigners who say they are avoiding America specifically because of him. Some forecasters also say the economic uncertainty caused by his agenda may be creating headwinds for U.S. tourism.
A Danish traveler told Reuters, "I'm never going to go to the United States as long as Mr. Trump is the President there." A British woman, who typically comes to the U.S. twice a year, asked the New York Times, "Why would anyone want to visit, especially right now?" One Canadian man cited Trump's "divisive nature" as a reason to stay away, telling a local TV station, "We just don't want to get caught up in it at all."
Tourist visits were down overall in February relative to 2024, but there were big differences from country to country. The largest decline was in travelers from Asia, driven by large drops in tourists from China (24%) and South Korea (20%). Arrivals also dipped from the majority of Western European countries, with the most noteworthy declines coming from Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. Visits from the United Kingdom, however, were up nearly 7%. Travel from Africa, Central America and the Caribbean dipped significantly overall, while arrivals from the Middle East and Eastern Europe increased slightly.
America's biggest source of incoming travelers, Canada, isn't included in those numbers because Canadians typically don't require a visa to enter the U.S. There are indications, though, that the number of people visiting from America's northern neighbor was down significantly in February compared to last year.
Polls suggest that opinions of the U.S. in Canada and a number of European countries have soured since Trump returned to office. But his impact on travel may be about more than just changing attitudes. The president's economic policies, centered around steep — and at times unpredictable — tariffs could also slow the American tourism industry.
The influential travel forecasting company Tourism Economics predicts that international travel into the U.S. could drop by more than 9% in 2025. In an earlier report released in February, the company argued that an "escalating trade war" between the U.S. and its most important trading partners could hurt the economies of everyone involved and leave their citizens with less money to spend on trips. The U.S. Travel Association has estimated that, on its own, a 10% reduction in travel from Canada could lead to $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 lost American jobs.
Another factor that may be stifling foreigners' interest in visiting the U.S. is the growinglistoftravelers who have been detained and reportedly endured harsh treatment at the hands of U.S. immigration authorities, despite having all of their travel paperwork in order.
"People are very surprised and very cautious looking at the U.S. as a destination for the moment," Eric Drésin, Secretary General of the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association, told CNN on Sunday.
Keith Serry, a writer and comedian from Canada, decided to cancel all of his upcoming appearances in the U.S. over concerns that he too could become ensnared in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. "The honest truth is that I just don't feel safe traveling to the States right now," he wrote on his Facebook page.
It’s too early to know whether February's tourism drop was a blip that will ultimately correct itself or the start of a trend that could deal a serious blow to the American travel industry. We also can’t know how Trump’s trade war will shake out or what shape the world economy might be in when the summer’s peak travel season arrives. But there are enough early warning signs and enough angry voices abroad that tourism experts say there’s reason to be worried about the industry in the near future.
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