The impact of President Donald Trump’s policies on transatlantic tourism remains a subject of debate, with anecdotal frustration among European tourists contrasting with official data showing fluctuating trends.
According to the United States National Travel and Tourism Office, visitor numbers from Western Europe fell sharply by 17 percent in March 2025 compared to the same month in 2024. However, April figures show a rebound, with a 12 percent increase year-on-year. A similar pattern was observed in Germany, where travel association DRV reported a 28 percent drop in German arrivals to the US in March, followed by a 14 percent recovery in April.
The German Travel Association attributed the March downturn in part to the timing of Easter holidays, which occurred later this year. DRV spokesperson Torsten Schaefer also pointed out that recent months have not seen a significant number of cancellations or booking changes. Nonetheless, he acknowledged a “rise in queries about entry requirements into the United States,” reflecting growing concern about border controls.
These concerns stem from several publicised incidents of European citizens being held upon arrival in the US and subsequently deported. In response, several European governments have advised their nationals to verify travel documentation before departure.
Despite the data recovery in April, some travellers report a shift in their perception of the US as a destination. Raphael Gruber, a German doctor who has holidayed annually in Cape Cod since 2018, told AFP he would not be returning this summer. “The country I knew no longer exists,” he said, citing enhanced surveillance at the border and a perceived atmosphere of suspicion. “I don’t want to buy a ‘burner’ phone just to keep my privacy.”
In the UK, 35-year-old history teacher Matt Reay said he had decided to avoid travel to the US altogether, citing the political climate and recent remarks by US leaders. “It feels like… there’s a culture that’s built in the US in the last kind of 12 months, where as a foreign visitor, I don’t really feel like I’m that welcome,” he said. He referenced President Trump’s tariffs on British exports and Vice President JD Vance’s remarks characterising the UK as “a random country”, as well as Trump’s widely criticised treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a February visit to Washington.
Nonetheless, the data for British travel to the US also showed a marked turnaround: after a 14 percent drop in March, the number of UK visitors rose by 15 percent in April. Oxford Economics attributed the March decline to several factors including the stronger US dollar and the calendar effect of Easter, but also pointed to “polarising rhetoric and policy actions by the Trump administration, as well as concerns around tighter border and immigration policies”.
Travel industry professionals suggest that cost may also be influencing behaviour. Didier Arino, director of French consultancy Protourisme, noted that April’s increase in bookings may be due in part to discounted fares. “You can find flights, especially for New York, at 600 euros,” he said, as carriers attempt to compensate for declining demand with promotional pricing.
Still, Arino acknowledged a broader unease among French tourists. “The mood has sunk,” he said. “On top of the financial outlay, being insulted by the US administration for being European – that really robs you of the desire to go.”
Entreprises du Voyage, a French industry body, reported an 8 percent fall in French visitors to the US in March, followed by a further 12 percent in April. The organisation expects an 11 percent drop in summer departures.
For some, however, politics is not a deterrent. Muriel Wagner, a German PhD student, said she intends to visit Boston in the summer to see a friend studying at Harvard, an institution often at odds with the Trump administration. “You can’t let yourself be intimidated,” she said, adding that she looked forward to discussing political tensions with Americans directly.
Yet the cumulative effect of reduced European travel could have broader implications for the US economy. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that the United States could lose up to $12.5 billion in foreign visitor spending in 2025, with ongoing declines not limited to Europe. The report notes that Canadian and Mexican visitor numbers are also down significantly.
In summary, while President Trump’s policies and rhetoric appear to be discouraging some European travellers, the overall picture remains mixed. Shifts in travel patterns reflect a combination of political perceptions, economic factors, and seasonal timing, complicating efforts to draw a direct causal link between presidential policy and tourism trends.
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