As tourism to the US plunges because of perceived risks, some travellers are now second-guessing whether it’s safe to visit destinations Trump has recently threatened.
This was supposed to be a huge year for tourism to the US. In 2026, the nation is not only celebrating the centenary of its iconic Route 66 highway and the 250th anniversary of its independence, it’s also co-hosting the FIFA World Cup. In a normal year, any one of these events would put a broad grin on the faces of US hotel owners and airline executives. But the events of the past 12 months have been anything but normal.
Since taking office again in January 2025, US President Donald Trump and his administration have issued tariffs on longtime allies, repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, detained foreign tourists at the border, implemented mass deportations and may soon be rolling out a programme that scrutinises foreign tourists’ social media profiles before they are allowed to enter the country.
As a result, a growing number of nations have issued travel warnings to the US and many would-be visitors have called for an all-out boycott of travel to the country, with some even calling it a “hostile state”. According to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the US was projected to lose a staggering $12.5bn (£9.35bn) in international visitor spending in 2025. Of the 184 nations analysed by the WTTC and Oxford Economics, the US was the only one forecasted to see a decline in international visitor spending last year.
Getty Images“Once aspirational, a US trip now feels, for many, like both a political act, a leap of faith for entry and a financial burden,” writes Sarah Kopit on the tourism industry website Skift. The site also reported that 46% of travellers polled last year said they were less likely to visit the US because of Trump.
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