We are already feeling impacts

By Andy Yemma

UPDATE, MAY 26, 2025, From TRAVELANDTOURWORLD.COM: European airlines are freezing their transatlantic growth and pulling back from major U.S. cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago as they redirect flights to Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Caribbean, where bookings are rising and demand is outpacing the American market. Carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Iberia, and SAS have adjusted their summer schedules to reflect shifting traveler priorities, with more passengers opting for destinations that offer smoother entry, better seasonal deals, and fewer political complications. The changes mark a clear retreat from the U.S. at a time when international sentiment is cooling and alternative routes are proving far more profitable.

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!