International travelers canceling U.S. trips
Many cite Trump border, national security polices
By: Katleen Wong
USA Today
..... Ryan Estrada and Kim Hyun Sook recently made the difficult decision to cancel their months-long visit to the U.S. this summer. [2025] They had spent years planing this trip, sacrificing others for this major one - Kim even denied renewing her job contract for it.
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Cartoon artist Estrada and his wife Kim, a Korean graphic novel author, have been living in her home country for the past several years. This trip was there opportunity to visit Estrada's family and also meet with calibrates across the country total about their books that hey collaborate on. Kim was planing to be in the U.S. on a tourist visa for the permitted three months while Estrada, an American-born citizen, was going to arrive earlier and leave later.
..... They were all set for this trip when they heard the news about graphic artist Rebecca Burks being detained and banned from the U.S. The British national, who was suing home-stays for her accommodation, was attempting to travel from Seattle to Vancouver during a backpacking sojourn throughout North America. "She's a friend of friends, and it just kind of scared me," Estrada said. "And everything after that, it seemed like every day there were to or three new stories that touched on exactly what we were afraid of."
..... By that, he means the high-profile detainment and deportation of several green card holders, the enhanced scrutiny at U.S. borders, and the overall agenda of increased national security by the Trump administrator. Even some U.S. citizen are hesitant to travel outside the country's borders.
..... Knowing they were brining art supplies with them, plus the fat that Kim's books - one being a fictional illustrated account about living under a South Korean military regime in the 1980s - are baned in four states, the couple felt going on the trip was just too risky.
..... "there's a lot of family things I'd want to do that we're not able to, but I have the choice of either putting my wife in danger or abandoning hr for half ayer,"Estrada said. "I was shocked by how many people understood. I thought people, even older relatives, would just be like, 'Oh you're overreaction.' But my mom was like, 'Yeah don't come. It's too dangerous.' "
..... Amid recent travel advisories warning those coming to the U.S. plus strengthened immigration enforcement, many international travelers are starting to turn away from the U.S. as a destination. Between January and March, [2025] foreign arrivals dropped by around 4.4% for those first three months last year, [2024] according to date from the National Travel and Tourism Office. In a March year-over-year comparison, that reduction doubled to almost 10%.
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At Hartsfiled-Jackson Atlantis International Airport - consistently ranked the busiest airport in the world and hub for international connections - 189,073 non-U.S. passengers passed through its terminals between March 1 and April 7, [2025] according to data by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That's am almost 5% decrease form the same time last year. [2]24]
..... Some fear for their safety over what could happen when trying to enter the nation's borders. others are angered at recent polices, like the trade wars, and the Trump administration's rhetoric, refusing to spend their dollars in the US. a decline in overseas visitors could have significant long-term consequences for the economy, with travel and tourism one of the country's leading industries, contributing 2.5% to the GDP, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
..... "It's shaking everything up," said Hicham Jaddoud, professor of tourism at the University of Southern California Bovard College. "We have seen also how these tourists that used to come to the U.S. decide to change their direction are looking at different destinations. ... That's gonna impact that return rate of the acquisition cost of consumer coming back to the U.S. there are a lot of concern, obviously, and they;re all backed by data and numbers.
Effect on travel industry
..... Earlier this year, [2025] the National Trade and Tourism Office predicted a postie forecast for 2025's international visitor numbers. Over the past several years, travel to the U.S. has been steadily increasing, with last year [2024] seeing 72.4 million international arrivals, up from 66.3 million in 2023.
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However, the U.S. tourism industry is already stating to see a flurry of cancellations across the broad, from business to leisure and family travel. "that cancellation impacts, obversely, hotel reservations, restaurants, every element that deals wit tourism," Jaddoud said.
..... In 2024, spending by international visitors generated $2.9 trillion in economic output. It supported 15 million jobs, from the more obvious hotel workers to indirect services like taxi drivers, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Canadian travelers along spent $20.5 billion, and just a 10% reduction could mean a loss of $2.1 billion.
..... In march, 2025] former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to "choose Canada" for their travels rather than going to the U.S. - and they are. Not only are airlines booking from Canada to the U.S. plummeting - down more than 70% each month through the end of September [2025] - but carriers are cutting flights by 2.5% between the two countries.
..... "This sharp drop suggests that travelers are holding off on making reservations, likely due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the boarder trade dispute," the firm said in a statement, as previously reported by USA Today.
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Jaddoud warns that the impact from a loss of travelers won't just be for the short term but could last for years.
..... "A shift toward alternative destinations, that was something that really kept me up a night as a result of all of these factors," he said. "We have seen a noticeable shift among international travelers to go toward other destinations. As I mentioned, like Canada, for instance, has become increasingly attractive for Europeans."
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If travelers have a good experience elsewhere, they may not choose to return to the U.S. even if the political landscape changes.
..... Although saddened by the loss of his trip and the uncertain future of his home country, Estrada feels confident in his decision to avoid taking his wife to the U.S., even though he don't know when they can ever make that visit.
..... "They've made it clear that nay reason is good enough," to detain or expel someone, he said. "So, if you're hearing story about someone this is happening to, and in your mind you're like, there must've been a reason, look at what some of the roans have been in the past and realize that could be you."