The return of the Trump administration continues to discourage foreign tourists

Canadians and Europeans continue to avoid the destination this summer, put off, among other things, by the American president's territorial ambitions and immigration policy.

The summer vacation season has officially begun in the United States , and early official data suggests that America will attract fewer tourists. Canadians and Europeans in particular, who returned en masse to the United States after the Covid pandemic, are absent at the start of summer.

A decline observed more generally by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service, which gives the figure of approximately 1.9 million foreigners arriving at major American airports over the past four weeks. This is a decrease of 6% compared to the same period last year.

And summer flight bookings suggest things aren't going to get any better. Bookings for flights to the United States from Europe are down about 12% through August. The drop is even steeper for flights to the California cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as the capital, Washington, D.C.

To explain these declines in bookings, there is clearly a Trump effect. Canadians represent the largest group of international visitors to the United States, about a quarter of arrivals. But Donald Trump wants to make Canada the "51st American state," so there is clearly a boycott of the neighbor for that reason. And on the European side, it's a bit the same.

Travelers planning long summer road trips to the American West, for example, say they are uneasy about the president's instability and generally prefer to spend their money elsewhere than in America, in other European countries, or even in their own country. Many of those who had planned to spend their vacation in the United States also point to the White House's restrictive immigration policy.

The travel and tourism sector accounts for about 3% of the total U.S. GDP, and foreigners contribute only a tiny fraction. Experts, however, had predicted a 16% increase in spending by international visitors this year. They now expect a decline of about 5%, representing a loss of $8.5 billion.