Are Trump’s hardline tariffs and travel bans stopping Brits from visiting the US?
Tariffs, travel bans, mass firings – if there’s one thing you can be sure about with Donald Trump, it’s that he’ll make news. Constantly.
That’s even the case here in the UK, where most of his decisions have no direct impact. But is all that coverage having an effect on Brits hopping across the pond for a vacation?
If you look at the dry numbers from the US National Travel and Tourism Office, you might think the answer is no.
In January, the month of Trump’s second inauguration, the number of UK visitors to the US was 5% higher than the previous January.
February and April also saw more Brits going to the US than the same months in 2024, suggesting that far from putting people off, we may even be more keen to visit the country when it’s run by Trump.
ABTA, the British trade association for the travel industry, tells a similar tale.
They ‘haven’t seen any significant changes in terms of UK-US travel post-Trump administration’, a spokesperson told Metro, with ‘no noticeable shifts away’ from the States.
But that may not be the full story.
Australia-based tour company Intrepid Travel offers small-group trips to destinations as diverse as Nepal, the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica – and the United States.
However, the latter has had a significant fall in interest over the past five months, with bookings from UK customers down 12%.
That decline appears to be driven by one age group in particular: 21 to 30-year-olds, with whom bookings have fallen by almost a quarter.
There was less of an impact for customers above that age bracket.
Joanna Reeve, Intrepid’s General Manager for the UK & Ireland, told Metro: ‘While there is no way to know for sure what is causing the dip, negative perception of the US under the new administration could be playing a part in people’s travel choices.
‘New immigration rules and travel restrictions could be off-putting for potential visitors.’
The country still remains popular overall, she said. According to the Office for National Statistics, the US was the sixth most popular country visited by UK residents in 2023 – though it wasn’t far off Portugal and Greece in fifth and fourth place respectively.
A survey for ABTA taken in summer last year – before Trump was elected, but while the presidential election campaign was in full swing – found the US came third after only Spain and France when people were asked where they planned to visit in the next 12 months.
Even those who disagree with the direction of the Trump administration might want to consider visiting the US in order to mitigate its impact, Joanna suggested.
She said: ‘There are ways to travel there in a way that supports local people, like through supporting indigenous-led experiences.
‘We’re also encouraging people to visit and support the National Parks as they are facing huge cuts to their funding.’
Interestingly, the attitude of young travellers with Intrepid – if they are indeed being put off by Trump – does not appear to reflect the broader UK.
An Ipsos poll from just before Inauguration Day in January found 18 to 34-year-olds were the most likely age group in the UK to have a favourable view of the US President.
However, 47% of Brits between those ages still disliked him compared to 31% who felt the opposite. Those aged 35 to 54 were 64% unfavourable, while 72% of those aged 55 or over felt the same.
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