LAS VEGAS — 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The marketing campaign, which included a $500 gift card giveaway, was meant to show Buffalo’s northern neighbors<\/a> they were welcome, wanted and missed<\/a>.<\/p>\n At first, it seemed like it might work, said Patrick Kaler, CEO of the local tourism organization Visit Buffalo Niagara. More than 1,000 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.<\/p>\n Buffalo\u2019s struggle reflects a broader downturn<\/a> in international tourism to the U.S. that travel analysts warn could persist well into the future. From northern border towns to major hot spots like Las Vegas<\/a> and Los Angeles<\/a>, popular travel destinations reported hosting fewer foreign visitors this summer. <\/p>\n Experts and some local officials attribute the trend that first emerged<\/a> in February to President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. They say his tariffs, immigration crackdown and repeated jabs about the U.S. acquiring Canada<\/a> and Greenland<\/a> alienated travelers from other parts of the world. <\/p>\n “To see the traffic drop off so significantly, especially because of rhetoric that can be changed, is so disheartening,\u201d Kaler said.<\/p>\n The World Travel & Tourism Council projected ahead of Memorial Day<\/a> that the U.S. would be the only country among the 184 it studied where foreign visitor spending would fall in 2025. The finding was \u201ca clear indicator that the global appeal of the U.S. is slipping,\u201d the global industry association said. <\/p>\n \u201cThe world\u2019s biggest travel and tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction,\u201d Julia Simpson, the council\u2019s president and CEO, said. “While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the \u2018closed\u2019 sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Travel research firm Tourism Economics, meanwhile, predicted this month that the U.S. would see 8.2% fewer international arrivals in 2025, an improvement from its earlier forecast of a 9.4% decline but well below the numbers of foreign visitors to the country before the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n \u201cThe sentiment drag has proven to be severe,\u201d the firm said, noting that airline bookings indicate \u201cthe sharp inbound travel slowdown\u201d of May, June and July would likely persist in the months ahead. <\/p>\n Deborah Friedland, managing director at the financial services firm Eisner Advisory Group, said he U.S. travel industry faced multiple headwinds \u2014 rising travel costs, political uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical tensions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since returning to office, Trump has doubled down on some of the hard-line policies that defined his first term, reviving a travel ban<\/a> targeting mainly African and Middle Eastern countries, tightening rules around visa approvals<\/a> and ramping up mass immigration raids<\/a>. At the same time, the push for tariffs on foreign goods that quickly became a defining feature of his second term gave some citizens elsewhere a sense they were unwanted.<\/p>\n \u201cPerception is reality,\u201d Friedland said.<\/p>\n Organizers of an international swing dancing said an impression of America’s hostility to foreigners led them to postpone the event, which had been scheduled to take place this month in the Harlem area of New York City. <\/p>\n About three months into Trump\u2019s 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 attendees each year come from outside the U.S., primarily from Canada and France, she said.<\/p>\n Contest organizers are considering whether to host the annual competition in another country until Trump’s presidency ends, Morales said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe climate is still the same and what we’re hearing is still the same, that (dancers) don’t want to come here,” she said.<\/p>\n The nation\u2019s capital, where the Trump administration in recent weeks deployed National Guard members<\/a> and took over management of Union Station<\/a>, also has noticed an impact. <\/p>\n Local tourism officials have projected a 5.1% dip in international visitors for the year. Marketing organization Destination DC said last week it planned to \u201ccounter negative rhetoric” about the city with a campaign that would feature residents and highlight the \u201cmore personal side\u201d of Washington.<\/p>\n U.S. 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 doesn’t include travelers from Mexico<\/a> or Canada, declined by more than 3 million, or 1.6%, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary figures from the National Travel and Tourism Office.<\/p>\n As a tourist generator, Western Europe was down 2.3%, with visitors from Denmark dropping by 19%, from Germany by 10%, and from France by 6.6%. A similar pattern surfaced in Asia, where the U.S. data showed double-digit decreases in arrivals from Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines. Fewer residents of countries throughout Africa also had traveled to the U.S. as of July.<\/p>\n However, visitors from some countries, among them Argentina<\/a>, Brazil, Italy and Japan, have arrived in greater numbers. <\/p>\n Neither did all U.S. destinations report sluggish summers for tourism. <\/p>\n On eastern Wisconsin\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Many business owners reported a noticeable uptick in foot traffic after a quieter start to the season, Jarosh said, and sidewalks were bustling and restaurants were packed by midsummer. <\/p>\n Executives from the major U.S. airlines said last month that American passengers booking premium airfares helped fill their international flights and that demand for domestic flights was picking up after a weaker than expected showing in the first half of 2025. <\/p>\n The Federal Aviation Administration said it was gearing up for what is expected to be the busiest Labor Day weekend<\/a> in 15 years. Bookings for U.S. airlines were up about 2% compared to 2024 for the long holiday weekend that started Thursday, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.<\/p>\n