Foreign travelers are avoiding the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade policy, aggressive immigration enforcement and public statements and policies seen as hostile toward foreigners, reports Axios.
International air travel to the U.S. is down 7% year-over-year for 2025 compared to 2024, especially from Canada (25%), which is hurting tourism in border states that rely on Canadian tourism.
Las Vegas, too, has seen a big dip with an 18% decline in flights from Canadian carriers, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The World Travel & Tourism Council projected ahead of Memorial Day that the U.S. would be the only country among the 184 it studied where foreign visitor spending would fall in 2025. The finding was “a clear indicator that the global appeal of the U.S. is slipping,” the global industry association said.
“The world’s biggest travel and tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction,” Julia Simpson, the council’s president and CEO, recently told the Associated Press. "While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”
The White House says tourism receipts are still high.
"Foreign visitors to the United States spent nearly $127 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods in the first six months of 2025 — a record high thanks to President Trump's efforts to Make America Beautiful & Safe Again for Americans and foreign visitors alike," a White House spokesman told Axios.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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