Like any experienced travel professional, Raj Gyawali understands that occasional cancellations by circumstances such as disease are simply part of the business.
But Gyawali, founder of SocialTours, a Catmandu -based operator Nepal, who specializes in creating personalized itineraries with local focus, recently experienced his career of over 20 years: an American client giving up a trip to Nepal for fear of going abroad during the current US administration.
“A completely confirmed reserve was canceled when the person felt insecure to travel,” the travel agent told CNN adding that he noticed an increase among other American customers expressing similar concerns.
“I completely understand the feeling, because people feel uncomfortable coming from a country where they will have to defend themselves or apologize for the current moment. And I think it will affect many countries and many trips, no doubt.”
A few months after Donald Trump’s second presidential term, emerging numbers show a drop in demand from foreign travelers to the US.
According to data from the research company Tourism Economics, it is expected that the visits of international tourists fall 5.1%, and the expenses should fall 11%, representing a loss of $ 18 billion this year.
Canadian tourist operators, in particular, are seeing cancellations of up to 30%.
Meanwhile, some European countries are advising trans and non-binary citizens to avoid the US.
Foreign view of the US has been negative
But reluctance is not only unilateral.
For some Americans planning to travel abroad, or already traveling, the impacts of Trump’s second term are being deeply felt as they fit the new perceptions of America – and Americans – around the world.
Some are expressing fear or hesitation to travel abroad due to the perceived negative reaction in response to current administration’s policies and actions, including generalized tariffs, their treatment with allied nations and threats to attach Canada and Greenland.
Travelers concerned about the current reputation of America globally are not misunderstanding the predominant humor around US administration – especially in Europe.
According to recent data from YouGov, a British market research and data analysis company, “European US favorability” has fallen considerably in seven major European countries since Trump took office for the second time.
“Comparing our latest quarterly data with the latest survey before Donald Trump’s reelection, favorable attitudes towards the United States fell between six and 28 percentage points,”
stated the report.
It was observed that the opinion of the US is lower in Denmark-no wonder, when Greenland, which Trump promised to attach, is an autonomous territory of the country.
Only 20% of Danes express a favorable view of the US, falling from 48% in August 2024.
About a third of respondents in Sweden, Germany, France and the United Kingdom saw the US favorably, while Italians and Spanish were 42% and 43%, respectively.
“You would hope that the scores of favorability would reflect current events, and we have done other research that finds that people in Western Europe are highly criticism of the Trump administration’s position on Ukraine,” an YouGov spokesman explained to CNN by email.
For travelers such as Lisa Vanderveen, an adventurous school administrator and traveler spending between five and seven weeks abroad every year, the current administration’s global policies – including his position on Ukraine, a possible ban on travel for people entering the country, and a “chaotic” trade policy that included the threat of a 200% tariff over a 20% European alcoholic beverages. EU imports, against which the block is preparing to retaliate – in fact launched a remarkably harder spotlight on Americans traveling internationally compared to Trump’s first term.
As a result, some Americans report to feel increasingly conflicting – and occasionally concerned about their safety – while they are abroad.
Eduardo Santander, CEO of European Travel Commission, told the CNN E-mail that the latest arrival data “do not show indication that recent political events have affected US trips to Europe” and that “the American market remains a cornerstone of European tourism.”
Travel decreases are expected
But some tourism experts are preparing for future changes.
For Gyawali, the tourism industry as a whole needs to adopt a more proactive stance to adapt to the current challenges that affect both travelers and the business they feed.
In other words, “time to strategize how to protect tourism in this world affected by Trump,” as he put in a recent LinkedIn post about the recent cancellation of his American client.
Ethical Travel Portal Norway, a tourism company Gyawali is a partner, is also “preparing” for cancellations of American customers, which make up a large part of the business.
As a result, he says communication with US customers is increasingly focused on projecting a sense of empathy rather than simply ignoring his concerns or fears, which “is not the right way to deal with it,” says Gyawali.
Gyawali also has industrial ideas, such as gathering tourism experts at a possible think tank initiative to collaborate on best practices.
“The tourism industry is typically reactive,” he says. “They get a crisis and then start facing it. I think we need a little more proactivity in something like that, where you anticipate the problems that arise.”
Travelers, meanwhile, can employ some of their own strategies, starting with the process of packing (Tip: This is the time to rethink that US-flag T-shirt and make sure to leave potentially offensive, or political trends at home).
This content was originally published in Americans hesitate to travel abroad during Trump’s second term on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
