The United States has only to lose: without “urgent actions”, they will be in the same situation as during the Covid crisis
Tourists photographed in front of the New York Stock Exchange, Photo: Richard Levine / Alamy / Profimedia Images
Losing income from American tourism is obvious. Due to the Trump administration, it mainly writes to Libre Belgique.
As several recent analyzes have shown, tourists have come to avoid the United States, and this could cause important damage to the American economy.
The latest economic impact study published on Tuesday by World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), an American forum dedicated to the travel and tourism industry, says “America is about to lose almost $ 12.5 billion from international travel expenses this year, reaching below 169 billion $ 181 billion”.
This would represent a decrease of 22.5% compared to the top of international expenses in the United States, established at $ 217.4 billion in 2019, the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
“Our Mexican and Canadian neighbors do not travel to us anymore,” says Julia Simpson, WTT president, in a statement taken by The New York Times.
A discreet exodus of Canadians began to affect the sunny states of the US
Concerns about getting US visas
Simpson points out that it must be said that American tourism is in decline due to repressive measures against immigration, customs duties and controversial statements of the Trump administration.
“There is also the problem of visas. Not knowing if tourists can get them, the fear of being accidentally arrested,” says the president of the Travel and Tourism Organization.
While the United States tighten immigration policies and check visitors to borders, other countries, such as China, relax the requirements for visa, in order to encourage international tourism.
Simpson states that “without urgent actions to restore the confidence of international travelers, it could take several years until the United States can even return to the levels of expenses of international visitors before the pandemic.”
US, the only country preparing for a decline in tourism
Sector players believe that the situation is already serious and that the Trump administration continues to discourage foreign travelers. Interviews conducted by the big international press agencies show that a significant percentage of international travelers now see the US as a “non -primers” or even “dangerous”.
Of the 184 countries analyzed in the impact study conducted by WTTC, the United States are the only one to register a decrease in the number of international visitors in 2025.
“While other nations stretch the red carpet, the US government displays the 'closed' sign,” said Simpson.
“I am quite sure that President Trump, having experience in the field of hospitality, understands that tourists just want to come, enjoy this beautiful country, people and history, and then return home,” she said. “They do not want to settle here,” she concluded.
