We are already feeling impacts
By Andy Yemma
The US Travel Industry added $1.3 TRILLION dollars to the US economy last year, accounting for 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product, according to the US Travel Association, the industry’s leading advocacy group.
But the outlook for 2025 is considerably bleak.
Just look at a few dispatches from the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, with its policies that do nothing to promote tourism, but seem to do everything to discourage it!
FORBES: The Trump administration’s multi-front tariff wars and escalating rhetoric are turning off international tourists, according to a growing body of travel data.
USA TODAY: Increased scrutiny at U.S. borders and recent detainments are causing some international travelers to reconsider visiting the U.S…. Some travelers are opting for alternative destinations like Canada due to the current political climate and rhetoric…. Experts warn that the shift away from the U.S. as a travel destination could have long-term economic consequences.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: US expected a big travel year, but overseas visitors — angered by Trump — are heading elsewhere.
FINANCIAL TIMES: European travelers cancel US visits as Trump’s policies threaten tourism. International visitors stay away as political and economic tension and fears of a hostile border rise.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: I’ve changed my mind about travelling to Trump’s America.
Read this letter to Sydney Morning Herald that went viral on social media:
POLITICO: Canadians freeze visits to the US over Trump. Tourism from the north tanks amid annexation talk, tariff whiplash and border stops.
TIME: Tourism to the U.S. Expected to Plunge as Foreigners Reel at Trump’s Policies and Rhetoric.
HOTELDIVE.COM: How Trump’s tariffs may impact hotels.
NEW YORK TIMES: On-Again, Off-Again Tariffs and Their Toll on Travelers. The travel industry doesn’t know what to expect from whipsawing U.S. policies. But concerns are hitting the bottom line, which could mean higher prices, and more confusion, for tourists.
We just returned from a tour of Jordan and Egypt. In both countries tourism is down – in Jordan especially – because of turmoil in the Middle East. Israel too! Do we want the US to go down this path?
To our fellow travel writers, bloggers, influencers, and the travel industry as a whole: spread the word. Oppose policies that discourage travel into the USA!
I saw that Politico article, and it’s accurate. I live in Canada, and I see reports all the time now of Canadians shunning their traditional travel destinations in the US — up and down the East Coast and all along the border. Snowbirds are selling their condos and vacation homes, and other Canadians have quit their usual cross-border days trips for shopping, entertainment, and sports events.
Two-thirds of Canada’s 40 million population live within 60 miles of the US border.
What initially drew my attention to the article shows how tense relations have become since the “51st state” threats. It was the word “tanks” in the headline, and it took a second to realize it was used as a verb and was not referring to an armada of M1 Abrams.
Thanks Bob! Important insights here. Too bad half of Americans ignore the facts!