Latest news with #USNationalTravelandTourismOffice
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Skipping classes could lead to visa revocation & future bar, US warns students
AP photo NEW DELHI: Students pursuing courses in American colleges may not only lose their visa but also be ineligible to get one in the future if they drop out or skip classes. The US Embassy in India Tuesday said on X: 'If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your programme of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future US visas. Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues.' While the warning holds true for all foreign students in the US, post Covid India has emerged as one of America's biggest source markets for the same. 'More Indian students than ever before now have US student visas. In 2024, India became the top sender of international students for the first time since the 2008/2009 academic year with more than 331,000 students overall studying in the US. India also remained the largest sender of international graduate students in the US for the second year; Indian graduate student numbers increased by 19% to reach almost 2 lakh,' the US embassy had said last year. The Trump administration has been tightening visa norms and warning action against anyone found violating the rules. 'If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the US in the future,' the US embassy in India had said on X May 17. This post was also not aimed specifically at Indian travellers but was a reiteration of American rules for all international visitors. However, India is now among the biggest source markets for inbound visitation to America. According to the US National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), last year the country had over 4.8 crore international inbound air travellers from Canada, Mexico and overseas. After Canada and Mexico which share a land border with it, the United Kingdom was the biggest overseas market for inbound visitors at over 40 lakh, followed by India at almost 22 lakh; Germany at almost 20 lakh; Brazil at 1.9 lakh and Japan at 18.4 lakh, NTTO data shows. Trump is also acting on illegal immigration. On May 15, the US Embassy in India had said on X: 'The US government has launched a coordinated interagency effort to combat fraud and end illegal immigration. Those found guilty of visa fraud will face permanent bans from entering the United States. New visa restriction policies apply to individuals and foreign governments who facilitate illegal immigration.'
Roya News
14-05-2025
- Roya News
Travel to US drops 11.4% amid deportation fears
The US is witnessing a significant drop in international visitors, as political concerns, immigration fears, and economic factors dampen the appeal of traveling to the country, according to newly released government and industry data. Figures from the US National Travel and Tourism Office reveal that in March 2025, international arrivals fell by 11.4 percent compared to March 2024, totaling 2.4 million visitors. While travel fluctuated throughout the year, the March numbers offered the clearest picture yet of an ongoing slump in tourism. Widespread declines across regions Western Europe saw a notable 17.2 percent decline in arrivals, with Germany and the UK—two of the top 20 countries for US visitors—down 28.2 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively. Both nations had recently updated their travel advisories following incidents of their nationals being detained by U.S. immigration authorities. South and Central America reported even sharper declines. Colombia's visitor numbers were down 36.3 percent, Ecuador's by 25.9 percent, and Venezuela's by 23.3 percent. In Central America, countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua saw drops between 36 percent and 42 percent. Meanwhile, Mexico—a key source of tourism—registered a 23.2 percent decline in total visitors and a 25.1 percent decrease in tourist visas. These countries had all been subject to immigration enforcement and deportation flights under Trump-era policies. Mexico also faced heightened trade tensions, following US threats of tariffs. Political rhetoric and economic headwinds In Canada, preliminary data for January and February 2025 showed visitor declines of 8.1 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. No figures were available yet for March and April. Bilateral relations with Canada worsened after President Donald Trump suggested Canada become the '51st state,' triggering a new round of economic disputes. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) echoed these concerns in a report released Thursday, attributing the downturn to 'unpopular government policies, fear of being stopped and deported at the border, and a strong US dollar.' Travel from Canada and Mexico—traditionally the two largest inbound markets—was reportedly down 20 percent year over year. WTTC's president and CEO Julia Simpson told Reuters that international visitor spending in the US is projected to fall to under USD 169 billion in 2025, down from USD 181 billion in 2024, and still 22 percent below 2019 pre-pandemic levels. New York hit hard New York, the most visited state in the US, is particularly impacted. Research from Tourism Economics forecasts a drop in international arrivals from an expected 14.1 million in 2024 to 12.1 million in 2025. Julie Coker, CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, emphasized the economic consequences of this trend. 'Although international visitors make up 20 percent of total visitation, they account for approximately 50 percent of all visitor spending, making them essential to New York City's economy." 'Combined, this downward revision represents an estimated loss of over $4 billion in direct spending,' she added. Coker said the city plans to launch a global tourism campaign featuring the Statue of Liberty, targeting audiences in 17 countries including Canada, Mexico, western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. While most regions saw declines in March, the Middle East and Eastern Europe were rare exceptions, registering slight increases of 17.7 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. In particular, visitor numbers from "Israel", Cyprus, and Turkey rose by 21.1 percent, 12 percent, and 25.4 percent, respectively. Early data from April suggested a potential rebound, with an 8 percent increase over March. This bump may be attributed to travel during the Easter holiday season, though officials remain cautious about long-term trends.
Middle East Eye
13-05-2025
- Middle East Eye
International visitors to US decrease by 11 percent in March
The United States is experiencing a downturn in international visitors as the volatile political landscape, fears of being stopped at the border, and a strong dollar may be turning guests away. Arrival figures from the Department of Commerce's US National Travel and Tourism Office show a fluctuating landscape, with data varying from month to month this year. The department's March figures give the latest complete breakdown by country. Data shows that overall international visitor numbers for March 2025 were down by 11.4 percent compared to a year ago in March 2024. The overall number of visitors to the US in March was 2.4 million. However, overseas visitor numbers showed a decrease in March from most parts of the world compared to the same time last year, including western Europe (17.2 percent), Central America excluding Mexico (23.9 percent), Mexico (23.2), and South America (10.4 percent). New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Only visitor numbers from the Middle East (17.7 percent) and Eastern Europe (1.5 percent) were up in March compared to the same time last year. Visitor numbers are comprised of people who come to the US on tourist, business, study-related and other non-immigrant visas. Drilling down into these figures further, the data shows that visitor numbers from the UK and Germany, who rank in the top 20 visitor countries to the US, were down 14.3 percent and 28.2 percent, respectively. Both countries, incidentally, had their citizens detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in recent months, and both countries had posted updated travel advisories to the US on their websites. Tourism visitor numbers from most countries in the Middle East dropped in March compared to the same time last year, with Lebanon showing the greatest decrease, with 23.7 percent. The increase in visitor numbers overall was skewed by upward trends from Israel (21.1 percent), Cyprus (12 percent) and Turkey (25.4 percent). While student visa numbers from the Middle East showed a drop of only 0.5 percent overall, certain countries were more impacted than others, such as Iran (25.3 percent) and Lebanon (21.5 percent), compared to the same time last year. French scientist denied entry to US over views on Trump's policies Read More » Tourists from South America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela showed sharp drops of 36.3, 25.9, and 23.3 percent, respectively. In neighbouring Central America, visitor numbers also showed significant drops from El Salvador (37.7 percent), Honduras (36.9 percent) and Nicaragua (41.7 percent). Mexico showed a significant drop in visitor numbers in March compared to the same time last year, with a 23.2 percent downturn overall, and a 25.1 percent downturn in tourist visas. All the countries listed from Central and South America received deportation flights from the US under the Trump administration. In addition, Mexico was initially targeted with high tariffs, which sparked a backlash from the country. Data on visitors from Canada were only available for January and February from the Department of Commerce. Preliminary data shows visitor numbers decreased in January by 8.1 percent to 1.4m from the year prior, and in February by 9.8 percent to 2.7 m, but doesn't show figures for the last two months. Tensions between the two countries escalated this year after President Donald Trump suggested that Canada should become the 51st American state, triggering a trade war. Downturn in spending According to an article by Reuters on Thursday about the decline in travel spending in the United States, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTCC) said that travel from Canada and Mexico - two countries with some of the highest visitor numbers to the US - was down around 20 percent year-over-year. WTCC said that unpopular government policies, fear of being stopped and deported at the border, and a strong US dollar were all contributing to a decline in international visitors. Julia Simpson, CEO of the WTTC, told Reuters that despite the US being the largest global travel and tourism economy, international visitor spending in the country is projected to fall under $169bn in 2025, down from $181bn in 2024 and 22 percent below its previous peak in 2019. Revised US travel ban could expand to more than 40 countries: Reports Read More » New York, the most visited state in the US, will also see international visitor numbers fall this year. According to research provided by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, international visitor numbers to the city in 2025 are expected to fall from an expected 14.1m visitors to 12.1m. Julie Coker, the CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, shared a statement with the Middle East Eye, saying, 'Although international visitors make up 20% of total visitation, they account for approximately 50 percent of all visitor spending, making them essential to New York City's economy." 'Combined, this downward revision represents an estimated loss of over $4 billion in direct spending,' Coker said in a statement. She said the organisation was planning to roll out a travel campaign that features the Statue of Liberty as a symbol in 17 countries and would focus outreach in Canada, Mexico, western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Early data from the US National Travel and Tourism Office showed that while international travel to the US fell 11.4 percent overall compared to this time last year, there was an eight percent increase in April, which may have shown a spike from visitors travelling over the Easter holidays.
The Guardian
18-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘I don't want to give money to this America': tourists' fears of US travel under Trump
Last year, while Joe Biden was US president, Jenny and her husband booked a trip to Boston for June 2025. The British couple had been to New York before and wanted to see more of the country. But after Donald Trump's re-election in November, Jenny said a 'shadow' began to fall on their travel plans. Since Trump took office, reports have emerged from US border points of tourists being detained and interrogated, people with work permits sent to Ice detention centres and even a US citizen seemingly told to leave the country – as well as people being wrongly deported. Overseas visits to the US were down 11.6% in March compared with the same month last year, according to the US National Travel and Tourism Office. 'I had a growing feeling that I really didn't want to give this new America our money,' said Jenny, a 54-year-old former librarian from Northamptonshire. 'But it took the news of the detainments at airports and borders to really crystallise our concerns into action.' The pair decided to cancel the trip. Scores of people responded to an online callout to share their views about travelling to the US amid the Trump administration's policies. While several people reported no issues entering and leaving the US, others spoke of anxiety at the border and unpleasant interactions with officials – although many people raised it as being a longstanding issue. Jenny said it was really frightening to see the reports of detainments and deportations in the supposed 'land of the free'. After deciding not to travel, 'we just feel so relieved,' she said. 'We've now cancelled the flights and hotel and are heading to Crete for a week instead. We'll visit Boston when Trump is long gone.' Several people who got in touch after travelling to the US recently reported no issues at the border. Sarah, a 39-year-old who works in financial services and lives in Hertfordshire, took her seven-year-old daughter to Miami, the Everglades and the Disney and Universal parks in Orlando this spring. 'We were a little nervous about going, given recent coverage,' she said. 'Amusingly, our seven-year-old asked earlier this year, 'are we still going to America now that man is back?'' At the airport they found – gruff border officials aside – everything was fine. 'And my husband and I had a conversation about how we're probably quite privileged at the border, compared to some other families.' But, Sarah added: 'It did make me think, am I being disproportionately frightened of something because of hearing coverage about rare or edge-cases? I tend to be quite data-driven, so hearing these stories in the news, we tried not to worry and just thought, we've done everything we need to do with visas and paperwork.' Sarah said her daughter had a great time in Florida and at the parks. 'When we got out the airport in Miami, she said, 'The cars are massive!'' But for foreign citizens with partners from the US, travelling to America feels particularly anxiety-inducing right now. Paul*, a 44-year-old French citizen living close to the Swiss border, is in a long-distance relationship with his fiancee, who lives in Detroit. He plans to fly from Paris to Chicago in June. 'I am very uneasy about travelling, because I fear being denied entry – or worse, being detained, for whatever reason – and never being able to set foot in the US again,' he said. 'As my fiancee and I are planning on getting married in the US in the autumn, this would seriously jeopardise our plans.' For now, he plans to fly. One silver lining of the heightened attention on the US border, he said, could be the exposure of longstanding unsavoury practices. 'Rightfully, we're all appalled at these recent stories,' Paul said, adding that he hopes these incidents will allow westerners to reflect on how border authorities have long treated certain groups. Alex, 39, a Dutch civil servant with a Peruvian background, said when he was flying to Peru to see family in 2017 he was subject to a 'very angry' interrogation by a border official during a layover in Miami. He said they examined his computer and books and asked if he was a communist. 'I think it was intimidation for its own sake,' Alex said. 'In all honesty I'm quite scared to travel to the US, but at the same time I can't help but have this strong feeling of irony about this whole situation,' said Alex. 'Europeans now can face a treatment by the US that was previously reserved for folks from developing countries.' *Some names have been changed.
