Fewer Americans want to visit Europe this summer, survey suggests

Yahoo

a day ago

The Brief
U.S. interest in traveling to Europe this summer has dropped by 7 percentage points.
Cost concerns are the top barrier, but politics and global perception may also play a role.
Chinese tourism to Europe is rising sharply, making up for lost American visitors.
LOS ANGELES - Fewer Americans are planning to vacation in Europe this summer, and international travel sentiment in the U.S. remains weak compared to 2024, according to new survey data from the European Travel Commission.
Just 33% of U.S. respondents say they plan to visit Europe this summer, a 7% drop from last year. While high travel costs and the appeal of domestic trips were the top reasons cited, the ETC also noted a more subtle factor: a growing number of Americans may be feeling self-conscious about how they're perceived abroad — particularly under the foreign policy direction of President Trump's administration.
The data suggests a cooling of enthusiasm not just among Americans toward Europe, but possibly in the other direction as well.
The backstory
The report attributes much of the drop to rising travel costs, which were cited by nearly half of U.S. respondents not planning a European trip. Still, the ETC noted that "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" may also be playing a role in shaping travel behavior — a trend supported by the regional split in travel intent.
For example, 43% of Americans from the Northeast, a region that typically leans Democratic, still plan to visit Europe — compared to just 33% nationally. That regional gap, the ETC suggests, reflects a political divergence that's influencing how comfortable people feel traveling internationally.
Despite a small uptick in overall long-haul travel sentiment in 2025, travel to Europe specifically has lost ground across several major markets.
Dig deeper
While U.S. enthusiasm has declined, other regions are showing different patterns:
China stands out, with 72% of surveyed travelers planning a trip to Europe — a 10% increase from 2024.
Brazil and Canada both showed declines of 6% and 5%, respectively.
Japan recorded the lowest level of interest, with just 13% of respondents planning a European vacation.
The ETC attributed the rise in Chinese travel to economic recovery, higher disposable incomes, and a growing cultural emphasis on travel and lifestyle experiences.
Why you should care
The shift has real implications for both the European tourism industry, which was valued at $1.3 trillion in 2024, and for U.S. global engagement. Visits to the U.S. from countries like Germany have plunged — down 28% year-over-year in March — as global visitors increasingly turn to destinations that feel more politically neutral or welcoming.
The ETC warns that strained international relations and economic instability make long-term travel forecasts harder to predict. However, they also emphasized that Europe remains committed to attracting high-value travelers by promoting earlier departures, lower-cost destinations, and off-season opportunities.
What they're saying
"At a time of declining consumer confidence globally, it is more important than ever to strengthen Europe's position as a top destination," said Miguel Sanz, President of the European Travel Commission. "This means improving the competitiveness and accessibility of European experiences while continuing to showcase lesser-known destinations and off-season travel."
The Source
This article is based on the Long-Haul Travel Barometer 2/2025, jointly published by the European Travel Commission and Eurail BV. Additional context and commentary were included in a press release dated June 2025, with attribution to Miguel Sanz and regional travel sentiment data collected across multiple international markets.