CNN
David Pereira, a 53-year-old Frenchman from just north of Paris, has long been enchanted by American culture. As a child, he eagerly absorbed dubbed episodes of iconic TV series like “The A-Team,” “Happy Days,” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Over the years, his passion blossomed—not only did he collect vintage Mustangs, but he also acquired a GMC pickup truck from the 1970s. With nearly a dozen trips to the U.S. already under his belt, this summer he hoped to finally realize a dream of visiting Yellowstone National Park with his family, especially after savoring the breathtaking national parks on the West Coast two years ago.
Yet, after months of following Donald Trump’s combative rhetoric, Pereira found himself unable to proceed with his plans in good conscience. “Like many French people, we are immersed in American culture,” he reflected in a conversation with CNN Travel. “We love it. But it’s just unbelievable now.” He continued, “I kept watching the news and thinking, ‘This can’t be happening.’ It just got worse and worse—like ‘fake news’ on ‘fake news’ on ‘fake news.’”
Pereira isn’t alone in his disquiet. A wave of disbelief, anger, and anxiety has rippled across the Atlantic, prompting European travelers to cancel or reconsider their trips to the U.S. This shift can be traced back to the Trump administration’s harsh anti-European rhetoric and ongoing tariff disputes. Concerns over safety have further dampened the allure of visiting America, accentuated by troubling reports of tourists facing detention without due process or being denied entry based on their political views.
To address the growing apprehensions, several European countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany, have issued updates cautioning citizens. Travelers may be denied entry even with the appropriate visas, and transgender individuals now must specify their biological sex at birth in passports—an added hurdle that raises further concerns.
British author Farah Mendlesohn faced a similar dilemma. After three years of planning a month-long research trip to the U.S. for a book, she had to forfeit her journey after hearing about a Welsh woman detained for 19 days and sent home in chains for alleged visa violations. “I lost £800 (about $1,050) in bookings,” she lamented, adding that her own political stances made her anxious about potential trouble at the border. “I don’t think I want to go to America in those circumstances and put money into the American economy,” she concluded.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to downplay fears of unjust detentions, reassuring international travelers that those flagged at the border are typically marked for a “reason.” “If you’re not coming to the United States to join a Hamas protest… then you have nothing to worry about,” he stated during a press conference in Brussels.
However, the impact of such remarks appears to be reflected in the numbers. Data from the National Travel and Tourism Office revealed a stark 12% drop in overseas international arrivals in March compared to the previous year, excluding Canada and Mexico. Tourism Economics has since revised its prediction, estimating a decline in incoming travel could hit nearly 9.4%.
Sébastien Bazin, CEO of Accor, reported a staggering 25% fall in summer hotel bookings from European travelers, and Jean-François Rial, head of France’s leading luxury tour operator Voyageurs du Monde, described a “colossal” 20% decline in bookings for U.S. travel. “In the 30 years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never seen anything like this for any destination,” Rial noted.
As the unsettling statistics accumulated, Didier Arino, director of the travel consultancy Protourisme, labeled the situation as unprecedented. “This kind of turnaround has never happened before in a normal situation,” he remarked.
In light of decreased demand, British long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic has expressed concern regarding transatlantic travel, while data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection highlighted a 15% drop in daily travelers crossing the Canada-U.S. land border. This decline is the most significant year-over-year drop since the pandemic began.
Interestingly, as travel becomes increasingly fraught, a grassroots boycott movement is gaining traction in Europe. With “boycott USA” groups popping up on social media platforms, there’s a growing sentiment against visiting America among some demographic segments.
For Johan Björnsson, a Swede who recently canceled a cruise out of Miami, the decision transcended mere travel inconvenience; it was about taking a stand against perceived disrespect from U.S. leadership. “It got personal,” he said, when reflecting on the lack of decorum in the treatment of international leaders.
For many, the toxic atmosphere surrounding the current U.S. administration remains a significant deterrent. As Europeans grapple with the ongoing geopolitics threatening their security, the appeal of travel to the U.S. has indeed dimmed—marking a striking departure from what was once a supremely popular destination. As Jacob Bøll, a consultant in Copenhagen, poignantly put it, “You vote with your feet when you’re a consumer.”
Similarly, Robert Christiansen of Denmark has opted to cancel his plans to surprise his daughter studying in Texas. His worries over flight safety, coupled with his activism online, have instilled a deep-seated mistrust of the U.S. government. “I cannot trust the government of the United States,” he stated sorrowfully.
The reverberations of this discontent may echo in travel patterns for years to come.
