Immigration restrictions drive decline in international visitors.

President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies and tariff war are hurting tourism to the United States, with Canadian reluctance to travel to their southern neighbor standing out in particular.

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Tourism Economics released a report showing that tourism to the U.S. fell 3.9% in the first half of the year. In addition, international visits dropped 3.1% in July alone, excluding data from Canada and Mexico.

Geopolitical concerns and “tough rhetoric” from the Trump administration have contributed to “unpredictability” and a “negative global sentiment toward traveling to the United States,” dragging down international visits.

“The decline in arrivals to the U.S. is the clear consequence of a combination of policies and statements by the Trump administration that have shifted sentiment and raised concern among many potential travelers,” said Aran Ryan, director of industry studies at Tourism Economics.

Specifically, he pointed to “adverse trade negotiations,” immigration and border security measures, and, in Canada’s case, statements that challenge the country’s national sovereignty.

Travel restrictions to 19 countries imposed by Trump in June will further reinforce the perception of the United States “as a less predictable and less welcoming destination,” Ryan added.

In the hotel industry, U.S. hotel occupancy stands at 63.1%, compared with 63.5% in the first half of 2024, according to preliminary data from CoStar, a real estate analytics and data provider.

Hotel stays in the United States declined slightly during all the summer months: in June, occupancy was 68.5%, compared with 69.7% a year earlier; in July, 66.4% compared with 67.2%; and in August, 66.4% compared with 67.2%.

In May, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecast that the United States would lose \$12.5 billion in international traveler spending this year, a 22.5% year-over-year drop.

WTTC President Julia Simpson warned at the time that, while other countries were rolling out “the welcome mat,” the United States was putting up a “closed” sign.

The text reads, “Visitors from almost all over the world are turning their backs on the United States. Tourism is falling due to the trade war and the treatment of migrants. Proof that not everything should be interpreted in terms of inflation: prices for car rentals, hotel rooms, etc. are falling due to lower demand.”

Canadian Visits Plummet

U.S. tariffs on Canada and Trump’s insistence on turning it into the 51st state have fueled Canadians’ reluctance to travel south.

As a result, Canadian visits to the United States “continue to plummet,” with a 20.3% drop so far this year and a 25.2% plunge in July alone, according to Tourism Economics.

In June alone, Canadian air travel to the United States fell 28.7% from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Canada.

Tourism Economics also reported that flight bookings from Canada to the United States for the coming months are between 35.6% and 43% lower than in the same period last year.

According to Ryan, Canadian residents have responded “negatively” to Trump’s rhetoric and tariff policies, focusing instead “on their own national economy.”

Trump has been especially tough in his trade policy with the northern neighbor, on which he began imposing 25% tariffs last March on imports not covered by the USMCA trade deal.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE – Tourism Economics

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