LONDON: While waiting in line outside Rome's iconic Gallery Borghese with his family, Polish tourist Antoni Furman shared why the United States is never on his holiday list. "Europe is much less crowded, and the US tariffs on the European Union affect our pockets," he said.
Furman represents a growing number of Europeans opting out of engaging with the United States. A wave of anti-American sentiment is sweeping across the continent, as US policies strain the transatlantic relationship and influence everyday decisions - from travel choices to consumer behavior, Xinhua news agency reported.
Inbound travel to the US is projected to decline by 8.7 percent in 2025, with the sharpest drops expected from Canada and Western Europe, according to Oxford Economics.
Data from the US National Travel and Tourism Office revealed that trips from overseas fell by 11.6 percent in March 2025 compared to the previous year. Visits from Western Europe alone plummeted 17.2 per cent. Germany, Spain, and Ireland each saw declines exceeding 20 percent, while the United Kingdom and France recorded decreases of around 10 percent.
Travel booking platform Omio reported a 16 per cent increase in US trip cancellations in the first quarter (Q1) year-on-year, with cancellation rates from the UK, Germany, and France nearing 40 percent.
Tourism Economics, part of Oxford Economics, noted a 10 percent decline in European trip plans to the US for the 2025 summer season.
Oxford Economics pointed to several causes for the gloomy tourism outlook: trade tariffs targeting traditional allies, troubling media reports on border security, and controversial travel advisories.
Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, criticized the Trump administration's approach, noting that Trump's aggressive rhetoric toward the European Union (EU), Greenland, and Canada are all unforced errors, and have impacts on how people view the US.
A British woman working in sports echoed this sentiment, saying, "I disagree with many of Trump's policies. The US just doesn't seem like a positive place. I'd rather visit France - and I think most Brits complain about Trump's policies." (IANS)
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