Between President Donald Trump’s antagonistic comments against multiple nations and viral horror stories of tourist detentions at the border, travelers around the world have been eyeing places other than the U.S. for their holiday plans.
A report from Tourism Economics predicts that international travel to the U.S. will drop by 15.2% in 2025, while visits from countries such as Germany and Spain during the spring months have already fallen by 30% and 25%, respectively, when compared to 2024.
After President Trump repeatedly called Canada the “51st state” and referred to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” last winter, Canadians accounted for one of the biggest travel declines — 12.5% in February and 18% in March, according to border crossing data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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‘There is a little nationalism there, I guess’
When questioned about whether such steep declines would affect the U.S. tourism industry (conservative estimates predict 140,000 lost jobs across airlines and accommodation), Trump classified it as “no big deal.”
“There is a little nationalism there, I guess, perhaps,” he told a reporter at the Oval Office on April 23. “It is not a big deal.”
President Trump then went on to answer different questions about the present course of the dollar and the relationship between the U.S. and Japan.
Related: Another country is warning citizens about travel to the U.S.
At an earlier press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also responded to a question about the hit to the tourism industry by dismissing any concerns about lost jobs or tourist dollars.
“I think most recognize the U.S. is a great place to do business, a beautiful place to visit, and they should come here because it is a much safer country than four years ago under the previous president,” Leavitt said.
The reporter had asked whether travel advisories that countries like France, the United Kingdom, and Portugal had issued about being prepared for potential searches and questioning at the U.S. border would deter travel.
Spain was among the countries that saw the steepest dropoff in travel to the U.S.
Image source: Shutterstock
Alarming travel advisories keep rolling in: ‘You may be liable for arrest or detention’
“You should comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry,” the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office now explicitly states about travel to the U.S. “The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.”
More on travel:
United Airlines places big bet on new flights to trendy destinationGovernment issues new travel advisory on popular beach destinationAnother country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors
At the end of the press conference, President Trump again referenced tourism in the context of its impact on the economy, going against statistics showing that it is likely to continue dropping unless his administration changes course on numerous political fronts. He gave inconsistent statements about how tourism is “hard for us to get” but is also “going to come in.”
“It makes it very hard for us to get tourism, and our dollar is a little bit on the low side, and that means that a lot of tourism is going to come in,” Trump said. “But I can see a little bit of nationalism at work, and I can see it likewise with us — not wanting to go to certain countries. But that’ll work out very easily.”
Related: Veteran fund manager issues dire S&P 500 warning for 2025
