Maya Hoover/The Mossy Log
This year was expected to be another successful one for tourism in the United States, particularly with the FIFA World Cup taking place in New Jersey in late July. Globally, international tourism was up 4% by the end of 2025. However, the number of international visits to the United States has since dropped 6%. Additionally, more than a dozen countries, including the U.K., Canada, China, Australia and Germany have all issued travel warnings, concerned about the safety of their citizens traveling to the United States. Why are so many countries flagging us as an ‘unsafe’ destination? Why is the international tourism economy, one of our country’s largest markets, on the decline, and who is to blame for the losses?
While identifying a specific reason for the decline in international travel is difficult, there are a few key factors playing a role. Canadian tourism is an essential part of the U.S. tourism industry, but after the detainment of Canadian tourists due to President Donald Trump’s border enforcement, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged citizens to keep their tourism local. Canada may only be one country, but due to its close proximity to the United States, as well as the countries’ previously amicable relationship, this decline has a significant impact. For example, Canada accounted for 20.24 million visitors to the U.S. in 2024 alone. The United Kingdom also saw detainments of their own citizens in the U.S. in recent months, further fueling anxieties about travel to the U.S. Both the U.K. and Canada are long-standing allies of the United States, with long-established economic and trading relationships. The disruption of this bond further alienates foreign and U.S. citizens alike, driving home concerns and opinions about selecting the U.S. as a travel destination.
I sense that Canadian’s hesitancy to travel here comes not only from a safety perspective, but also from feelings of betrayal. Our previously amicable relationship has been put to the test with tariffs and border closings, and I think it to be a shared sentiment among our bordering nations that there has been a significant negative shift in policy and ideology.
I see our nationwide state of unrest to be a major factor in tourists’ decisions about where they spend their time and, subsequently, their money. Not only are Trump’s policies a cause for concern, but Trump is rather infamous for his hateful rhetoric towards a variety of foreign countries, particularly those with higher immigration rates into the U.S. A 2024 El País article breaks down how xenophobia was the focus of Trump’s campaign:
“The former president had already shown at the debate … that he does not care whether an accusation is true or not as long as it fits into his political narrative that immigrants are invading the U.S. … and that they are the cause of almost all evils”
President Trump’s blatant hatred of “illegal aliens” sends a message to the rest of the world, particularly to countries where people previously immigrated from. It sends a message for the entire country, a message that we do not want you here, and if you are here already we will do our best to get you out, no matter what it takes. I agree with the article’s sentiment that Trump has no sense of right or wrong: rather, he simply says whatever he wants in order to get people to listen. This not only damages our country but it greatly affects the way that the rest of the world views the United States, however fair or unfair it may be to narrow down the views of an entire country of people to the hatred of the leader. Whether you agree with me or not, whether you support Trump or not, the decrease in tourism is not a good sign for an economy that is already struggling.
To get a better understanding of just how detrimental the decline has been, we should start by assessing the economic impact of the tourism industry in the U.S. as a whole. According to the U.S. Travel Association, in 2024 the travel industry supplied the American workforce with more than 15 million jobs. Tourists spent a combined $1.3 trillion, leading to an economic output of almost $3 trillion. To put that into perspective, travel itself is a larger export for the country than steel, aircraft or cars.
I do not believe that every single person in other countries believes the U.S. to be evil. I do, however, believe that they are absolutely right to fear for their safety, and therefore understand their choice not to come here. After all, who would want to vacation in a country where you might not get to go back home again? However, it is important for other countries to remember that the government’s extreme actions do not necessarily reflect the values of its citizens. According to the Guardian, the number of protests in the U.S. in 2025 increased by a staggering 133% from 2017, the year of President Trump’s first term in office. After Trump’s reelection, this momentum resurfaced, with weekly demonstrations and protests outside of the Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility and dozens of others across the country. As citizens, a growing number of us are very against what is happening in our country at the moment, and I do hope that other countries are able to see the resistance taking place.
It is my sincere hope that the global perceptions of the U.S. as a dangerous and uninviting country will change and, more importantly, that there will be a good reason for them to change. I can only continue to wish for different and better policies on immigration and citizenship, but until then, the U.S. economy will continue to suffer the blow of the massive loss of international tourism.
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