International tourism to the US is facing a significant downturn. Thus impacting destinations from Buffalo to bigger cities. Experts attribute this kind of decline to President Trump's policies and rhetoric. Which have led to a perception of the US as unwelcoming. Forecasts predict a continued decline in foreign visitor spending, with notable drops in arrivals observed in Western Europe, Asia, and Africa.
For a few hopeful weeks this summer, a bright billboard on the major highway linking Toronto to New York greeted Canadian drivers with a simple message: "Buffalo Loves Canada."
The marketing campaign, which included a $500 gift card giveaway, was designed to show Buffalo's northern neighbours that they were welcome, wanted, and missed.
At first, it might work, said Patrick Kaler, CEO of the local tourism organisation Visit Buffalo Niagara. More than 1000 people entered the giveaway. But by the end of July, it was clear the city's reliable summer wave of Canadian visitors would not arrive this year.
Buffalo's struggle reflects a broader downturn in international tourism to the US that many analysts warn could persist well into the future. From the northern border to major hotspots like Las Vegas and Los Angeles, popular travel destinations have reported hosting fewer foreign visitors this summer.
Experts and some local officials attribute this trend, which first emerged in February, to President Donald Trump's return to the White House. They say his tariffs, immigration crackdown and repeated jabs about the US acquiring Canada and Greenland alienated travellers from other parts of the world.
"To see the traffic drop off so significantly, especially because of the rhetoric that can be changed, is so disheartening," Kaler said.
Forecasts indicate that the US is likely to lose foreign tourists. The World Travel and Tourism Council projected, ahead of Memorial Day, that the US would be the only country among the 184 it studied where foreign visitor spending would decline in 2025. The finding was a clear indicator that the global appeal of the US is slipping," the global industry association said.
"The world's biggest travel and tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction," Julia Simposn, the council's president and CEO, said, "While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the US government is putting up the closed sign."
Travel research firm Torisk Economics, meanwhile, predicted this month that the US would see 8.2 per cent fewer international arrivals in 2025, an improvement from its earlier forecast of a 9.4 per cent decline, but well below the numbers of foreign visitors to the country before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The sentiment drag has proven to be severe," the firm said, noting that Airline bookings indicate "the sharp inbound travel slowdown" of May. June and July would likely persist in the months ahead.
Deborah Friedland, managing director at the financial services firm Eisner Advisory Group, noted that the US travel industry is facing multiple headwinds, including rising travel costs, political uncertainty, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Since returning to the office, Trump has doubled down on some of the hard-line policies that defined his first term, reviving a travel ban targeting mainly African and Middle Eastern countries, tightening rules around visa approvals, and ramping up mass immigration raids. At the same time, the push for tariffs on foreign goods quickly became a defining feature of his second term, giving some citizens elsewhere a sense that they were unwanted.
"Perception is reality," Friendland said.
International arrivals down from Western Europe, Asia and Africa. Organisers of an international swing dancing event said an impression of America's hostility ot foreigners led them to postpone the event, which had been scheduled to take place this month in the Harlem area of New York City.
About three months into Trump's second term, international competitors began pulling out of the world finals of the International Lindy Hop Championships, saying they felt unwelcome, event co-producer Tena Morales said. About half of the attendees each year come from outside the US, primarily from Canada and France, she said.
Contest organisers are considering hosting the annual competition in another country until the end of Trump's presidency, Morales said.
"The climate is still the same, and what we are hearing is still the same: that dancers don't want to come here," she said.
The nation's capital, where the Trump administration has deployed National Guard members in recent weeks and assumed control of Union Station, has also been impacted.
Local tourism officials have projected a 5.1 per cent dip in international visitors for the year. Marketing organisation Destination DC said last week it planned to counter hostile rhetoric about the city with a campaign that would feature residents and highlight the more personal side of Washington.
US government data confirms an overall drop-off in international arrivals during the first seven months of the year. The number of overseas visitors, a category that excludes travellers from Mexico and Canada, declined by more than 3 million, or 1.6 per cent, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary figures from the national Travel and Tourism Office.
As a tourist generator, Western Europe was down 2.3 per cent with visitors from Denmark dropping by 19 per cent, from Germany by 10 per cent and from France by 6.6 per cent. A similar pattern surfaced in Asia, where the US data showed double-digit decreases in arrivals from Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines. Residents of countries throughout Africa, as of July, have also travelled to the US.
However, visitors from some countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Italy, and Japan, have arrived in greater numbers. On eastern Wisconsin's Door Peninsula, which straddles Lake Michigan and Green Bay, a steady stream of loyal Midwest visitors helped deliver a strong summer for local businesses, according to Jon Jarosh, a spokesperson for Destination Door County.
Many business owners reported a noticeable uptick in foot traffic after a quieter start to the season. Jarosh said, and by midsummer, sidewalks were bustling and restaurants were packed. Executives from the major US airlines stated last month that American passengers booking premium airfares helped fill their international flights. The demand for domestic flights increased after a weaker-than-expected performance in the first half of 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was gearing up for what is expected to be the busiest Labour Day weekend in 15 years. Booking for US airlines was up about 2 per cent compared to 2024 for the long holiday weekend that started Thursday, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.
As the summer winds down, though, the absence of foreign visitors in Buffalo was still visible, according to Kaler, the head of Visit Buffalo Niagara. Canada sent over 20.2 million visitors to the US last year, more than any other country, according to US government data. But this year, residents of Canada have been among the most reluctant to visit. In a significant U-turn, more U.S. residents crossed into Canada in June and July than Canadians made the reverse trip, according to Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency of Canada. Statistics Canada stated that this was the first time this had occurred in nearly two decades, except for a two-month period during the pandemic.
In July alone, the number of Canadian residents returning from the US by car decreased by 37 per cent from the previous year, and return trips by plane fell by 26 per cent, the agency said. As a result, Visit Buffalo Niagara shifted its marketing efforts this summer to cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Amateur children's sporting events also helped fill the void left by Canadian tourists.
"We will always welcome Canadians back when the time is right," Kaler said. "I don't want Canadians to feel like we see them as just dollar signs or a transaction at our cash registers. They mean more to us than that."
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