Key group of US visitors tanking under Trump
It's not only tourists who are avoiding travel to the United States. Business travel to the U.S. from Europe is also down under President Donald Trump, as international opinion of the country tanks and foreign companies take their business elsewhere.
Business travel bookings from Europe overall fell by more than 25% in April compared to a year ago, according to data published by Politico from HotelHub, a London-based hotel booking company.
'There's been a lot of uncertainty around the traditional partnership with the U.S. since the new administration took office and even more so since the tariff announcements,' Paul Raymond, HotelHub's chief commercial officer, told the news outlet.
The tariffs, he said, 'seem to have created an appetite for businesses to look at alternative markets to offer greater stability.'
According to the HotelHub data, international bookings for business travel overall to the U.S. fell roughly 19% in April, a steeper drop than the 15.6% fall among bookings from U.S. companies.
The downturn was especially pronounced among some U.S. allies. Business hotel bookings were down 30% from Germany, 22% from France and 14% from the United Kingdom.
Bookings even fell from Canada and Mexico, America's closest trading partners after China. Bookings from Mexican companies fell almost 19%, while Canadian business bookings dropped by 18%, the data showed.
Meanwhile, European bookings to Norway jumped more than 23% from last year, alongside roughly 19% increases in bookings to Turkey and Australia, a 10% increase in bookings to Japan and a 7% increase in bookings to India.
The changes were not due to a dramatic drop in European business travel. The overall number of bookings originating in Europe — to destinations in the U.S. and abroad — fell only 1.6% in the first four months of this year compared with 2024, HotelHub's data showed.
Travel to the U.S. is in 'steep decline,' Oxford Economics, a global economic advisory firm, warned last month.
'Policies and pronouncements from the Trump administration have contributed to a growing wave of negative sentiment toward the U.S. among potential international travelers,' the firm said. 'Heightened border security measures and visible immigration enforcement actions are amplifying concerns. These factors, combined with a strong U.S. dollar, are creating additional barriers for those considering travel to the U.S.'
Cities and states are also lowering their projections for incoming tourists. Meet Boston, the city's tourism organization, had hoped for a 9% increase in international visitors compared to last year. It recently revised its projections to a 10% drop in foreign tourists, including a 20%-25% dip in Canadian visitors.
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Read the original article on MassLive.
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