With the welcome mat only half-rolled out, Europeans reconsider traveling to the US under Trump

PARIS, June 3 — President Donald Trump’s tough stance on immigration, imposition of broad tariffs, and “America First” policies may discourage many European travelers from visiting the United States — but tourism data tells a more complex story.

According to the U.S. tourism office, the number of visitors from Western Europe dropped 17% in March compared to the previous year but rebounded with a 12% increase in April.

In Germany, the German Travel Association (DRV) reported a 28% fall in U.S.-bound travelers in March, followed by a 14% recovery in April. DRV spokesperson Torsten Schaefer attributed part of the fluctuation to a later Easter holiday this year compared to 2024.

“There’ve been almost no recent cancellations or changes to bookings,” Schaefer noted, though he acknowledged a noticeable uptick in inquiries about U.S. entry requirements.

At the end of March, several European governments advised their citizens to double-check their U.S. travel documents, following widely reported incidents of Europeans being detained and deported upon arrival.

Anecdotal evidence also suggests a shift in sentiment. Some Europeans appear to be rethinking travel plans to “Trump’s America.”

“The country I used to know just isn’t the same,” said Raphael Gruber, a 60-year-old German doctor who has vacationed with his family in Cape Cod every summer since 2018. “Before, saying you were there for whale-watching was enough. Now, they seem afraid of anything foreign,” he said, criticizing what he saw as intrusive digital checks at the border. “I don’t want to have to buy a burner phone just to protect my privacy.”

In the UK, 35-year-old history teacher Matt Reay from Northamptonshire said he had removed the U.S. from his travel list, choosing instead to visit South America, where he believed his money would go further.

"I honestly don’t feel welcome in the U.S. anymore,” he said, citing both Trump's tariffs on British goods and disparaging remarks from Vice President JD Vance, who called the UK “a random country.” Trump’s mocking of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a February White House visit was, in Reay’s words, “outrageous.”

Still, tourism data tells a mixed story. British travel to the U.S. was up 15% in April after a 14% decline in March. Oxford Economics attributed the March dip partly to a stronger dollar and the timing of Easter, but mostly to “divisive rhetoric and policy moves by the Trump administration, along with stricter border and immigration policies.”

Discounted Flights Spur Interest

Didier Arino, head of French travel consultancy Protourisme, suggested that more attractive airfares — especially to New York — might explain the April rebound.

“You can find round-trip tickets for around 600 euros (US$680),” he noted.

In Germany, 34-year-old Muriel Wagner is still planning her summer visit to Boston to see a friend at Harvard University, despite Harvard’s public disputes with the Trump administration.

“I’ve been asked whether politics and the trade tensions influenced our trip,” said Wagner, a PhD student from Frankfurt. “But I refuse to be intimidated,” she added, noting she looked forward to discussing these issues with Americans firsthand.

Still, Arino said growing negativity toward the U.S. is prompting many to reconsider their plans. “When you're spending that much and the U.S. government insults you just for being European, it kills the excitement,” he said. He estimated that French travel to the U.S. could drop by 25% this year due to the “Trump effect.”

Entreprises du Voyage, a leading group in the French travel industry, reported an 8% decline in March and a further 12% drop in April for French travelers heading to the U.S. It expects an 11% decrease for summer departures.

The World Travel and Tourism Council warned that the U.S. travel industry — already suffering from decreased visits by Canadians and Mexicans — could lose up to US$12.5 billion in foreign visitor spending this year. — AFP