Decline in tourism hits US economy
https://www.semafor.com/article/09/29/2026/decline-in-tourism-hits-us-economyOpen linkView original on feddit.orgSyndicated from the fediverse. Read and engage on the original instance.
View original on feddit.orghttps://www.semafor.com/article/09/29/2026/decline-in-tourism-hits-us-economyOpen linkView original on feddit.org
128 replies
US Government: "Foreigners are not welcome here!"
Foreigners: stop coming here
US Government: surprised Pikachu
To be fair, Japan is doing pretty much the exact same thing, and tourism to Japan in 2026 dropped by only 2.6% so far compared to 2025, as per their own tourism statistics.
https://statistics.jnto.go.jp/en/graph/
Tourism in Nazi Germany was fine for the most part, too.
You have to remember that tourists are, generally speaking, richer people, since poor people just can't afford to travel. And statistically speaking, as you grow richer, you care less about people, the world, anything really.
As we've clearly seen with the recent Fifa World Cup.
Oh, I'm sorry, I must have missed the news where Japan will demand your devices' and social media accounts' passwords on entry, or that they have secret police prowling the streets looking to jail and/or deport you to a random country for pretty much no reason.
Don't forget the concentration camps, militarized police and sundown towns...
As much as I'd love to, I don't think I'll forget. :(
Is Japan being hostile to foreigners now any more than usual, though?
Also Japan has culture what does America have to offer?
Yes. After all that is going down in Nazi America it was the price of fuel being too high that is the reason I have been hearing for Snow birds not going this year. Thanks Obama.
Is it, tho? Is it really mind-boggling?
Has this head of US Travel Association perhaps been frozen in stasis for the past 24 months? I'm not sure how else they could perceive what's happening as anything other than normal and expected.
Probably used GROK to compose that response.
America.gov "super intelligence" (which curiously still has an "AI", not "SI", content warning)
I typed in a racial epiphet into the chat bot and it spit out an application. I don't know what for.
Probably Truth Social.
A lot of people still act oblivious to what's happening in the Untied States. Sometimes I think I'm delusional
Maybe a typo, but accurate regardless.
Not a typo, I've been deliberately spelling it that way since Trump has been back in power
It's "Unites States," now.
It's Unites States. Trump signed it into law.
Well ... they don't seem terribly united of late.
Not even close, no.
Its baked deep into the culture, right from childhood. US exceptionalism is a hell of a drug. And its going to lead to the country's collapse.
Small minds are easily boggled
It's mind boggling these dumb idiots still haven't figured it out. The stupidity is astounding.
How could Joe Biden do this to us, Pikachu?!
Isn't that the lady who said women should stay in the kitchen?
Judging by the younger generations I'd be happy if anyone was in the kitchen none of you fuckers knows how to cook anymore.
Only 50% of 2019 levels. Surprised it’s even that high.
The World Cup is my guess
they still visit disney.
I don't understand how anybody at all still voluntarily goes to the Untied States
plenty of fascist Australians going over by the 1000, Teslas are selling hand over fist.
Trump should have said he'd invade Australia and most of Australia would have said ok !
australia did produce the likes of murdoch and nick adams.
Family and friends compel many of us to visit.
Have they considered visiting you instead?
and contaminate themselves with socialism? no way!
They do that too but I like visiting. As much as the politics suck, the people are generally decent and it's still a country full of a lot of unique, natural beauty.
Are they unaware of the situation?
I know someone who flies down about once a month to help his elderly older brother and sister. (He is himself a retired senior, they are even older.) I presume he counts as 12 visitors a year, but of course, he's just one person with family obligations.
Trump’s solution: TARIFFS!
This is basically how Elon responded to advertisers not buying ads on X.
I thought he told them to "go fuck yourselves".
I mean Trump is doing roughly the same just not with words.
So he treats them like minors?
Fair point.
As a Canadian, this really warms my heart, thank you!
Canada gooses takin' Canada deuces.
Detaining a number of the visitors at the border certainly didn't help.
Not just detained, but strip searching teenage girls.
That story resonated through Europe.
US to try to force commercial airliners to land in US territory irrespective of final destination
Forced tourists will be given 60 minute head-starts to collect their luggage from the carousel before ICE agents begin their pursuit.
Now that's what I call an experience
Who would have thought that a GeStaPo randomly taking potential non-Americans off the street and and putting them in concentration camps could lead to tourists looking for safer destinations?
After all the hassle for PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS for the World Cup, nobody should be even mildly shocked about this
I am. I am shocked people are still going.
How is it mind-boggling? You elected fascist, felon, narcissist Dementia Don, and he's fomented far-right assholes to his ranks. This has made America a cesspool, and it's deserving of the scorn. And threatening sovereign states is making it worse.
At this point, it seems the point is to make the place malcontent, which adds to more of the far-right ranks, and it snowballs into needing intervention.
Twice.
Tourists don't care about all that. They care about 19 year old girls being detained and repeatedly strip searched and mothers being detained on accusations of voting in US elections.
Sir, a second Trump presidency has hit the US.
Partly self-inflicted??? PARTLY???
Good. The Untied States needs to feel consequences
You're not missing out on much.
I'm trying to imagine the mindset where it can possibly be mind-boggling. They drank the MAGA Kool Aid?
We're all trying to find who could've done this...
Thanks Obama!
I was hoping the title would say, 'Decline in tourism SLAMS US economy'.
How would a decline in tourism voice mild criticism of the US economy?
DESTROYS would be a tad on the nose
"it's mind-boggling"
well there's your problem and your answer. if you have no idea why this could be you're the reason we aren't going to the US.
I'm genuinely 50% or more sure they wouldn't let me in at the border. Would be a waste of flight tickets. I love the actual land under US jurisdiction but don't actually want to visit that shit show right now.
At this point I would begin some heavy self reflection if they still let me into that country
Same.
I wouldn't share my socials but I suspect they'll have me on a list somewhere because of how many times I call out MAGA for their support of a paedo
i stopped going after 9/11 and the US went insane then, now it's jist deeper in the mire.
I lived there for a time in '94 and visited twice a year for holidays after that. Haven't been back.
Grew up in the states and always felt uneasy how extreme and hollow the patriotism felt, like an ersatz religion. Could have had dual citizenship, but there was nothing compelling.
But 9/11 was something else. It was absolutely crazy how they turned the jingoism to 11 overnight. It still creeps me out after all these years. Despite all the family there, since then I’ve been there only once.
In my opinion the patriotic response to 9-11 proved that we (USA) can devolve into absolute chaos and horror at any time. It was that close.
Most disagree with me now, I guess, but at the time, I knew many people in politics and volunteerism, and they all supported the war in Iraq. These were anti-war people just weeks before, and now they were bloodthirsty. I know it's my subjective experience, but it was like Pod People.
America: come for the sights; stay because you don't have a key to the four-by-four chicken wire cage you're pissing blood in after being repeatedly smashed in the kidneys with a rifle butt.
Article text:
Graph in article: Number of visitors declined by over 10 million from Canada alone (from 20 million) since the start of Trump's second term. Other countries have similar trends, but with smaller initial numbers.
I'm not sure if I understand how they define year-on-year.
In tourism, Mexico and Canada are not considered "overseas" but "cross-border". It's much bigger news because overseas visitors are high spenders and stay for longer than cross-border visitors.
Maybe there was already a huge drop in 2025 - one set of numbers is since this presidency started, the other is since a year ago.
That's what I thought too, but then the graph would look different, with a plateau or even an increase for the last bit. But currently it goes down in a pretty straight line
olympicsworld cup probably f'd up the numbersedit* Sorry brain not ready yet
There was literally a world cup with more countries than ever.
Let's get those numbers down
Finally some good news
I think the US is visually stunning and I really wanna see the national parks and Big Sur and go to Oregon and see awe inspiring beauty of that state. Just a major case of fascism makes go yuck. No thanks.
Canada is alternative option. British Columbia has similar geography to Oregon and we likewise have national parks. There's lots of regions where Canada and US each have complementary national parks on the border with hiking trails that cross the border into each other's parks. I don't know how those are being managed under the current state of affairs however.
I want to see the US during halloween. It must be so insane and so weirdly wholesome.
What other holiday actually builds community trust than halloween? Best way to meet all your neighbours
To see Halloween, come to Canada instead! We also do that. You just need to speak to some locals to know where is the best place. Usually it is where the rich lives. I usually prefer to stay where I live, but if visiting for that, there are some places where it's more impressive.
And as a bonus, we don't have fascists in power.
Neat. Having grown up with it, it never really occurred to me that it would be extra neat to see when visiting from another country.
It's not just the kids, it's the adults too - everyone's encouraged to be outdoors after sundown, the streets are buzzing with excitement
Boy, my friend, I think you might find yourself disappointed if you ever do make it for one of our Halloweens. Like everything, it's not like the in the movies. But it is a fun night. I hope you get to see it some day.
Rest of America is beautiful too, just avoid the fascist countries, you won't be able to see it all in a lifetime either way.
Why no visit Ameristan?
I used to be a fan of that term, but now I think it's too much of a pejorative toward the 'stan countries. I've been going with American't or the Citizen's United Democratic Republic of American Sub-States (CUDRASS).
You're spot on if you know gravity's bicameral fall to be actual twins show pulling the tear you grip at every time you fall. Falling for the mistake thinking that Sigil to not-paper cult and start to notice. Observation clearly that either you forgot how to live without something that cannot exist within, or the unreal thread vomiting mockeries to everything you thought living was defined by.
It’s actually Nazi Ameristan. You know, like Nazi Germany
Some people chose to not see America.
I'm from there, but I'm not voluntarily going back unless someone in my family is sick/dying. Even then, there's zero chance I'd take my non-white wife who barely speaks any English in the current environment.
Thanks Obama! /s
Dude every day I get reminded this is sleepy Joe's fault. 😴🙄
You can thank Trump & Stephen Miller.
Trade war probably has nearly as much to do with it. Countries that are boycotting US goods will also have a strong aversion to traveling there.
Every set of policy decision has its winners and losers. It really feels like everyone other than the grifter-in-chief and his pals are losing now though.
A lot of the pals aren't even winning. It's mostly just trump becoming richer.
"His pals"
The biggest companies on Earth. Trump is superfluous, like a tumor.
Remember Trump's victory celebration? Bezos, Musk, Gates, Zuckerberg, they were all ecstatic.
Watch, I think they'll be on the stage whomever wins the presidency, because corporations are people and dollars are free speech.
These court decisions are precedent, they are now the law of the land. To rescind Supreme Court decisions we must have a constitutional convention. But we can't even agree on bathrooms.
So, doom it is
Citizens United needs to die.
It can't be done through the courts. Court always sides with precedent. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
So congress needs to write a law, and stop screwing around with their parliamentary goofball rules and vote a simple majority to clean house.
This will then be reversed by our two stupid parties, back and forth as one or the other wins and changes the law.
Only a constitutional convention can put a stop to this by our existing government. Our current "What does Amazon Want" republic sucks
ya but didnt they just rescind Roe V Wade?
cant it go both ways?
Meanwhile China's tourism is booming. Especially thanks to the 30 day unilateral visa free for most countries. Except of course for you know who..
https://www.thechinavoyage.com/china-tourism-statistics
Plus I don't have to disclose any social media, including your LinkedIn nor do I have to answer these inane questions like are you a Nazi? Strangely enough a few years ago that would be a disqualifier but it seems to make the immigration process go smoother now.
For comparison:
UN Tourism - World Tourism Barometer
Global tourism data, trends & insights, including: United States
if i wanna see primates throw shit at each other i can go to my local zoo
Good- so far. However It needs to get much worse.
"hits"? like, it just happened?
please don't describe Canada as a US ally. we're literally being threatened by the US, that kind of cancels any ally situation
Wow. Getting near covid levels. I have a tourism business and that was basically death for us.
I pretty much used to vacation in Vegas exclusively but with resort fees the value isn't there. I priced airfare and a week of hotels in NY vs Tokyo and Tokyo is much cheaper. I've gotten too used to easy access to cannabis so that and communication in English are my priorities for my next trip; I'm targeting Vancouver.
Yeah, while I live in the US, it's not worth traveling around here. I've been to Japan twice in the last year and Korea as well. Much better of an experience.
This is basically the theme of traveling in the US. Food poisoning over five times in one year for me. I would only recommend it if you're looking for a rapid weight loss program.
Thailand ? nearly all of the tourist industry speaks English, cannabis everywhere.
It's fine, they'll keep printing money so everyone can keep buying nvidia chips, no reason to worry
Huh I thought they didn't want foreigners tho
This hit Florida a while back. Hell, I-4 isn't even a Mad Max style hellscape right now.
So bad even Borat go back to Kazahstan
I know we have Leopards Ate My Face, but I think we really need Casablanca Backroom Casino Raid (or some better, snappier name)
Get rid of Capitalism, problem solved. Educate people, spread awareness. Scientific Socialism is the only sustainable way forward.
How would that solve tourism? There should ideally be no tourism under socialism, it's a waste of resources.
Socialism doesn't mean you cant have commerce or vacations. It just means that the motives move away from profit to more sustainable exchanges of time and energy. Tourism can exist in that framework. It just won't be purely for money's sake anymore.
Imagine that. Visiting for too long you'll end up in a concentration camp. I wouldn't visit here if I didn't live here.