Transatlantic airfares have dropped to rates last seen before the pandemic, data shows, the latest sign that fewer Europeans are traveling to the U.S. due to concerns about U.S. border controls and Donald Trump’s policies.

The trend could extend into and beyond the summer holiday period, typically the busiest time for airlines and travel companies.

Overseas arrivals to the United States fell 2.8% in May from a year ago, according to preliminary data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Travel from Western Europe fell 4.4% in May, led by a decline in travelers from Denmark and Germany.

  • Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    I wanted to go to the US since the eighties but I couldn’t afford it back then. By the time I could afford it, 9/11 had rolled around together with the suspension of civil rights and all the associated insanity. Then I thought I’d wait for sanity to return. I’m still waiting and I’m getting increasingly pessimistic I’ll live to see that.

      • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        There are so many excellent reasons to visit the US… just not necessarily right now.

        Our cities are fun to explore and have great restaurants and museums. Most need a car to explore, unfortunately, but some don’t. Our nature is honestly amazing. From forests to deserts to mountains to beaches to lakes and rivers. Yes, other places have some of those, but not many countries have all of those.

      • Ms. ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip
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        12 hours ago

        The US is gigantic we’ve got something for everyone here. In particular there are massive national forests with trails of any size you can think of (the Palouse Cascades trail goes from Seattle all the way to Idaho it’s 300 miles long, the Appalachian trail takes months to hike the full distance). We’ve also got a lot of different cultures to explore, foods to eat, and history to see.

        For sure don’t come here currently our government is dangerous and we don’t deserve tourist money. There are lots of reasons why someone might want to come to the US though.

        • Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          Hike the Appalachian trail and look at all the trash then get rocky mountain spotter fever or that disease that makes you allergic to red meat from ticks. Then get murdered by a lunatic or robbed at gunpoint.

  • Flamekebab@piefed.social
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    18 hours ago

    Work wanted me to go to the US for a thing and thankfully I had family reasons for being able to say no. I’m not setting foot in that country in a long time.

    • philpo@feddit.org
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      11 hours ago

      Yeah, a friend of mine literally told them “I’d rather let you fire me than end up in El Salvador”.

      They didn’t fire him. The US client was infuriated, but now they meet in Canada or London.

    • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      “fuck you, I’ll go to Canada and we can have the meeting like prisoners talking to their family”

    • havocpants@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      Most people book this kind of holiday a year in advance. The people still coming to the US booked their holidays last year. There’s going to be an enormous impact by next year.

      I love the US, spent a lot of time there, worked there for years, I have family there. I’m not going back until Trump is gone and there is some kind normality returned - which might be a long time.

      • Almacca@aussie.zone
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        5 hours ago

        Trump is just the pustule on a very deep zit. It won’t be over without some serious reform.

          • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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            4 hours ago

            Yeah the Indepedent Republic of California would be a nice place to visit after they deport all of the the ICE goons.

        • prodigalsorcerer@lemmy.ca
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          13 hours ago

          I live in Canada. I used to visit the States probably every other year. Then Trump was elected in 2016, and I stopped going. Then covid happened, so I figured I’d wait a bit longer. And now it’ll be another 3 years until I even consider it, but that largely depends on what happens in that time span. It’s not out of the question to just never visit again. There are plenty of other places in the world that I haven’t seen yet.

    • Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org
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      16 hours ago

      That’s how people frame it here to. “Why would I want to go to that 3rd world country anyway.” Personally I think it sucks. Like yeah there’s a lot of valid criticism regarding the US, even before factoring in the current regime situation. But feelings aside it’s a vast and diverse country with a lot of beautiful nature and interesting history (despite what people say) and I’d really like to go some day. Especially Washington, California, Colorado, Texas and Louisiana all fascinate me in unique ways. Alas, it’ll be some years before thinking about that vacation makes sense again.