Crisis in US tourism: Trump makes international visitors pale!

Crisis in US tourism: Trump makes international visitors pale!

The USA is experiencing a historic tourism crisis during Donald Trump's term in office, which is reflected in alarming figures. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the United States was the only country among 184 countries analyzed to see a decline in international visitor spending. These declines result in a dramatic overall deficit of $29 billion, with international visitor spending even reduced by as much as $12.5 billion. Particularly affected are visitor numbers from Canada, which have fallen by 20.2 percent, and from Western Europe, where there has been a decline of almost five percent.

In 2024, Canadian vacationers represented a quarter of all foreign travelers in the United States. Global tourism, however, is booming, with visitor numbers up five percent year-on-year, while countries such as Japan are seeing record numbers of 3.9 million tourists. In the US, however, there are worrying declines in tourism that experts link to political rhetoric, entry bans and customs policies that could particularly deter the LGBTQ+ community.

Decline in visitor numbers

In addition, it should be noted that the number of German tourists fell by ten percent in the first quarter of 2025. Flight bookings to the USA for the period from May to July are even eleven percent lower than in the previous year. Experts suspect that the declines are less of a political protest and more of a seasonal effect. Nonetheless, Canadian tourists avoiding the United States could result in massive economic losses, with a loss of $6 billion and over 40,000 jobs at risk.

Economists also warn that falling tourism numbers will increase the trade deficit and have a significant negative impact on communities in tourist metropolitan areas. Goldman Sachs estimates that the US economy will be hit by up to $90 billion in 2025 as a result of this development. The decline in US gross domestic product (GDP) was already 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and the tourism industry accounted for around three percent of GDP in 2023 and supported 15 million jobs.

Urgent measures required

Experts are calling for urgent action to restore the confidence of international travelers. It is expected that a positive turnaround can only be achieved through targeted policies and measures to increase the attractiveness of the USA as a travel destination. The challenges cannot be underestimated, as international transport is still heavily influenced by political and economic factors that go beyond tourist preferences.

You can find more information about the current state of tourism in the USA at Mercury and Mirror.