Decline in US Tourism: Trump Policies Deter International Visitors
The United States is currently witnessing a significant downturn in international tourism. Foreign visits have seen a 3% drop year-over-year in July 2025, marking the fifth consecutive month of decreases since President Donald Trump resumed office in January.
Canadian visitors have been particularly impacted. Visits from Canada are down 25.2% year-to-date, with a staggering 37% drop in arrivals by car in July alone. This has led to a historic shift: for the first time in nearly two decades, more US residents are driving into Canada than Canadians making the reverse trip.
Tourism industry experts attribute this decline to Trump’s restrictive policies. These include a revived travel ban targeting African and Middle Eastern countries, tightened visa rules, and mass immigration raids. These factors are seen as key deterrents for international travelers.
A new $250 “visa integrity fee” is set to take effect on October 1, pushing the total visa costs to $442. This will place the US among the countries with the highest visitor fees globally. “Everyone is afraid, scared – there’s too much politics about immigration,” says Luise Francine, a Brazilian tourist visiting Washington, DC.
The World Travel & Tourism Council projects a bleak future for US tourism. International visitor spending in the US is expected to fall below $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024. This makes the US the only country among 184 studied where foreign visitor spending is projected to decline.
Source: Al Jazeera