The Trump administration and its heightened border security are increasingly deterring international travellers from visiting the United States. Canadians in particular are cancelling trips but Europeans, too, are changing their travel plans and choosing other destinations instead.
While the United States has long been the land where everything was possible and has been attracting tourists for decades, things seem to be changing since the arrival of President Donald Trump in the White House. Travel experts are seeing the impact of his politics on international travel towards the United States, for multiple reasons.
Ethical concerns towards the Trump administration
Firstly, there are those tourists who choose no longer to travel to the United States out of ethical concerns. In an interview with The Independent, Danish traveller Kennet Brask explains how he has decided to cancel his travel plans to the US after seeing the heated and “rude” meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Instead, he is opting for a vacation in Mexico.
Trump’s recent decisions, actions, and threats (notably challenging the US-European alliance) have many Europeans doubting their travel plans. In a report, Tourism Economics president Adam Sacks talks about an “antipathy towards the US”. A possible annexation of Greenland, a global trade war, and stricter border and visa policies are cause for ethical concerns amongst many travellers.
“A situation with polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric… will discourage travel to the US. Some organizations will feel pressure to avoid hosting events in the US, or sending employees to the US, cutting into business travel,” said Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of Oxford Economics, in their report.
Border policies cause for concern
Secondly, those stricter border and visa policies aren’t just an ethical concern. For many, they are also becoming a very practical consideration. The UK and Germany have already updated their travel advisories for the United States, warning their citizens of strict immigration rules. Multiple German citizens, all of whom were in possession of a US ESTA approval or a US visa, have already been detained by US border authorities.
According to the Tourism Economics report, this has led to an expected decline of 5.1 per cent of foreign traveller arrivals in the United States for 2025 compared to projections, a number that could worsen even further. Initially, an 8.8 per cent increase had been projected. Spending on international travellers is expected to decrease by 10.9 per cent. Overall, Tourism Economics thinks the tourism sector could lose up to $ 64 billion in revenue in 2025. The World Tourism Forum Institute confirmed the recent policy changes could significantly affect international travel.
In 2024, Europeans made up 37 per cent of visitors to the US in 2024 but they are expected to be most likely to opt for other destinations. Canadians and Mexicans, too, are projected to travel elsewhere, and several travel agents are deterring their clients from making trips to the US.
“No one wants to enter a possibly volatile situation and even worse be denied entry. As long as there is no stability in the U.S., we will not feel safe or confident to go back,” Canadian travel agent Micheline Dion told media outlet Salon.
Data by Statistics Canada reveal that the number of Canadians returning from the United States has fallen by 23 per cent in February compared to 2024. According to NYC Tourism president Julie Coker, Canadians are cancelling their hotel bookings, while she also says not to have noted any differences from British or European travellers so far.
