Why Gay Travellers Are Skipping The US Amid The “Trump Slump”
International tourism to the United States dropped 5.4% in 2025 while the rest of the world saw arrivals rise 4%, according to the Travel And Tour World website. The gap now has a nickname, the “Trump Slump”.
A 5.4% drop and counting
Foreign visitor numbers fell sharply across 2025, with Canadian arrivals down close to 28% in January alone. European traveller numbers were 5.2% lower year on year by January 2026. International visits to the US are not expected to recover to 2024 levels until at least 2027, per AFAR.
The reasons keep stacking up. A new $250 visa integrity fee. A travel ban affecting dozens of countries. A proposal that would force ESTA applicants to make five years of social media history public. And 48 deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since early 2025, according to reporting cited by Newsweek.
Brand USA’s Hail Mary
Enter Brand USA, the country’s official tourism marketing body. In late 2025 it launched “America The Beautiful”, its biggest campaign in years, targeting nine major international markets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The pitch is glossy. Digital ads, video content, an AI-powered trip-planning site. The catch is that federal funding for Brand USA was slashed in mid-2025, gutting the very tool the country needs right now.
Why LGBTQIA+ travellers are pulling back
This one matters to our readers. After Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order recognising only two biological sexes, several governments updated their travel advisories warning that LGBTQIA+ travellers, particularly trans and non-binary visitors, may face heightened risk at the US border, the BBC reported.
Add ICE agents now stationed at airports, and the message many of us are hearing is loud. Brand USA can run all the sunset montages it likes. Policy is doing the louder talking.
Tell us what’s on your travel wish list…
At DNA, we want to know what your upcoming travel plans are and what destinations are on your wish list. Your input will help us shape how we cover travel stories in print and online over the next few months.
If you live outside the US, are you planning to travel to the US in the next 12 months? Let us know by popping over to our Instagram account here. Let us know why you are or are not travelling to the US.
If you’re in the US and are looking to travel to another country, we’d love to hear from you, too. Where are you headed? Is it for a specific event like a Pride or a cruise?
