International arrivals to the United States are falling, with the biggest drops reported among western European, Central American and Caribbean travellers.
Compared to 2024, the total number of global visitors by air, sea and land declined by 3.3% in 2025. March was particularly negative, with an 11.6% drop compared to the same month last year.
Last month’s traffic took a tumble from almost every region worldwide, with the worst results from western Europe (-17.2%), the Caribbean (-26%), central America (-26%) and Africa (12.4%).
The only exceptions were the Middle East (+17.7%) and eastern Europe (+1.5%), according to the latest data released by the US Department of Commerce.
Over 100,000 visitors lost from UK, Germany and Spain
Focusing on air travel alone, the numbers reveal sharp declines from some of Europe’s biggest markets.
The US had 45,800 fewer arrivals from the UK in March (-14.8%), compared to the same month last year. Germany saw an even more significant loss, with a 52,200 visitor shortfall (-28.5%).
Spain, which is among the European countries that most travelled to the United States in March 2025, also recorded a nearly 20,000 drop (-24.5%).
Combined, these three countries accounted for over 118,000 fewer European air travellers in just one month, which has travel experts wondering whether the trend can be explained by seasonal fluctuations alone.
Why Europeans are holding back
Concerns over stricter immigration controls as well as new trade policies enforced by the Trump administration may be scaring off some would-be tourists, according to Stefan Gössling, professor of School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University in Sweden.
“There is considerable evidence that the new government scrutinises migrants, foreign students, even Green Card holders. Unwarranted individuals are deported. This presents the US in a new light that is no longer welcoming, something that deters tourism,” Gössling told Euronews.
While tensions around immigration add to the list of deterrents, Gössling says the boycott can also be part of the main reason Europeans are holding back from travelling to the US.
“Many people feel that the current government is dismantling democracy and treating old partners as foes, while supporting governments that are currently considered in the West as aggressive or autocratic states,” he says.
“This has already caused boycotts of US products and services in many European countries, and tourism may also be considered as a way to harm the US economy.”
Tourism boycott ‘deliberate response’ to Trump policies
Richard Butler, Hospitality and Tourism Management professor at Strathclyde Business School, sees a direct correlation between tourism defections and Trump policies.
“I do think the changes we are witnessing in travel patterns to and from the USA are directly related to the Presidential policies,” he said.
“There has been a similar trend in a reduction of visitors to the USA from Canada, in deliberate response to comments on Canada becoming the 51st state and the punitive tariffs on existing agreements.”
“Considerable numbers of Canadians who have winter properties in the southern USA appear to be selling these and/or not visiting them this winter.”
European governments warn against ‘strict’ immigration rules
Last month, countries like Germany and the UK released updated travel advice for citizens planning to travel to the US.
The German Foreign Ministry warned that holding an Electronic System for Travel (ESTA) does not guarantee entrance into the US and that criminal charges in the country, like visa overstay, might result in arrest or deportation.
The warning came after three German tourists were denied entry to the US and moved to detention facilities.
On 18 March, two German teenagers were also detained at Honolulu Airport after being denied entry into Hawaii.
According to the German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung, Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, had valid ESTA approvals to travel to US territory but failed to provide proof of accommodation for the full duration of their stay.
The pair were interrogated by US Customs and Border Protection, subjected to body scans, and transferred to a detention centre. They remained there overnight before being deported the following day.
Meanwhile, the UK also updated entry instructions for its citizens on its official website, describing the US authorities’ “strict” immigration rules.
“You should comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry. The authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the US Embassy or a consulate in the UK,” the advice said.
More turbulence ahead?
Experts say that the downturn in European tourism could deepen in the coming months, especially if political uncertainty in the US continues to make the headlines.
“I believe the situation will get worse before it gets better. The question is whether the brand USA will be more permanently damaged, and I think it will,” said Gössling.
The long-term scenario, however, remains uncertain.
“March is not the month of the heaviest tourism traffic”, Noel B. Salazar, professor in Social and Cultural Anthropology at KU Leuven, told Euronews.
“While it is difficult to speak of a ‘trend’, the noticed decrease in March seems remarkable in the light of current global geopolitics. The most obvious reason for the decrease is that many people who don’t need to go to the US right now are simply postponing their trip.”
However, he adds, “It is too early to say whether the dominant behaviour is one of postponement or outright cancellation of the plan to travel to the US altogether.”
Read the full article here
