The number of European travellers visiting the United States has plummeted, with western European arrivals falling 17% year-on-year in March, according to the US International Trade Administration (ITA). The drop—driven by fears of a hostile border climate and mounting political tensions under President Donald Trump—threatens to upend the world’s most profitable air routes and damage the US tourism sector, which accounts for 2.5% of GDP, the Financial Times reported.
Tourism faces steepest slump since pandemic-era lows
Total overseas travel to the US declined 12% in March, the steepest monthly fall since March 2021, when pandemic restrictions still heavily curtailed movement. FT analysis of ITA data shows countries like Ireland, Norway, and Germany saw travel declines of over 20%. Paul English, co-founder of travel site Kayak, blamed Trump’s administration for “destroying the reputation of the US,” calling the travel drop a “terrible blow to the US economy.”
Airlines and hotels feel the squeeze
Major carriers are beginning to feel the turbulence. Virgin Atlantic warned of slowing transatlantic demand, while Air France-KLM noted it had to cut economy fares due to “softness” in bookings. British Airways owner IAG and US airline Delta said they had not yet seen significant impacts—but Delta has since withdrawn its forward guidance, citing broader uncertainty. Barclays analysts warned that profitability on transatlantic routes could be “abruptly diminished.”
Booking platform Omio reported a 16% rise in US trip cancellations, with rates surging to 40% in key markets like the UK, Germany, and France. French hotel group Accor said European bookings for US summer travel were down 25%, blaming a “bad buzz” around visiting America, especially after reports of increased detentions at US borders.
Aggressive border rhetoric sparks visitor unease
Concerns about US border hostility, particularly among vulnerable or minority travellers, have also contributed to the slump. Gloria Sync, a transgender author from the UK, cancelled a trip to San Francisco after reading about border detentions, saying, “I don’t know if I’ll ever go back, to be honest.”
Retiree Paul Harrington in Paris also cancelled a planned Washington D.C. trip, citing Trump’s tariffs and dismantling of foreign aid programs. “I will not visit the States until Trump is gone,” he said.
Canadian and global visitor numbers also hit
The decline isn’t limited to Europe. Delta’s president Glen Hauenstein noted a “significant” drop in bookings from Canada—a key market for popular US destinations like Las Vegas. In 2023, Canadians made up a quarter of all international visitors to the city.
Tourism Economics, which had earlier forecast a 9% rise in international arrivals in 2025, revised its projection to a 9.4% decline after Trump’s latest tariff announcements. Adam Sacks,
the group’s president, linked the drop to Trump’s rhetoric against allies such as the EU, Canada, and Greenland. “These are all unforced errors,” he said, “and they have a significant effect on sentiment towards the US”
Reputation and revenue at risk
In 2024, international tourists spent over $253 billion in the US, making up nearly 20% of total travel spending. With European travellers pulling back and uncertainty clouding other markets, analysts warn that continued policy aggression and border insecurity could erode one of America’s most dependable revenue sources.
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