According to the Data scientist at Financial Times (FT), Europeans are canceling plans in response to Trump’s policies, rhetoric, and horror stories from the border.
When I was a flight attendant based in Rome, all the newspapers ripped Americans apart daily, with frightening tales of criminals running rampant. That was before they were running wild in New York City streets.
The people were great, but they also have ridiculous media. This goes on throughout Europe as it does here.
FT says the Europeans fear the “hostile border.” They have had open borders, also.
FT said the drop in tourism resulted from President Trump’s rhetoric. From the report:
Visitors from Western Europe fell by 17% in a year, and travel from Ireland, Norway, and Germany fell by more than 20%.
Adam Sacks, President at Tourism Economics, also pointed to Trump’s aggressive rhetoric toward the EU, Greenland, and Canada. “These are all unforced errors, and they have a significant effect on sentiment towards the US, and therefore, travel,” FT writes.
Tourism accounts for 2.5% of the US GDP.
NEW
The number of people traveling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%, as travellers have cancelled plans in response to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and horror stories from the border. pic.twitter.com/c3Bd2YxTeK
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) April 11, 2025
Opinion
Many Americans no longer want to go to Europe, but travel to Canada is only down 1.9%.
Fortune reports that in 2025, interest in European vacations among US travelers declined, with the share of US travelers planning a European trip dropping to 37%, the lowest since 2021. This suggests that the US tourism industry’s initial optimistic forecast for 2025 may face some challenges.
A lot of the disinterest is due to the rising costs.
The EU may still be reacting to Vice President Vance’s analysis of its attitude toward free speech, free and honest elections, sovereignty, and other Western values. A recent leak found that some in the Administration see the EU as freeloaders over their attitude toward tariffs and NATO.
President Trump sees Greenland as a strategic necessity for the United States. It is closer to the US than Denmark, and Russia and China are all over Danish territory.
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