Since the start of the second Trump administration, headlines about tariffs and immigration enforcement have been ubiquitous. Notably, both policies are anti-trade. Tariffs restrict Americans’ right to trade with companies abroad, and immigration restrictions violate Americans’ right to associate with foreigners.
An underappreciated consequence of these anti-trade measures is that they scare away tourists and motivate boycotts of the U.S. as a travel destination. Foreigners rightly object to the tariffs on their countries’ exports to the U.S. and on the prospect of arbitrary immigration and border enforcement, which hurts businesses in our own tourism industry.
Before tariffs, travel bans, entry fees, visa bonds and aggressive immigration enforcement went into effect, tourism to America had been increasing since the end of the pandemic. International arrivals in 2025 were initially projected to surpass 2019 levels. As of 2024, the U.S. was still a big travel destination that welcomed visitors: Over 70 million people visited that year. Tourists and Americans both benefited from the exchange.
But tourism numbers are now dramatically down and expected to remain so. In April, Axios reported a sharp decline in the number of foreigners entering the U.S. at the 10 busiest airports. This matches the lower turnout of visitors reported by business owners in places like New York City this year.
A report by the World Travel and Tourism council found that travel spending in the U.S. is projected to decline by $12.5 billion this year compared to last year. The U.S. may be the only country among the world’s developed economies to see lower visitor spending in 2025.
Theme parks, which have a big international client base (Disney World’s is approximately 23 percent), are already taking a hit from the decline in tourism. So are other businesses around them, such as travel agencies and hotels. Smaller businesses, such as souvenir shops or the taxi and Uber drivers who service airports, are also affected. All want to work to earn foreigners’ business and make a profit, yet they are prevented from doing so by foolish policies that restrict foreign visits and thus trade with foreigners.
This all makes Americans worse off. The business owners, waiters and hotel employees who work in the travel industry and rely on economic exchange with international travelers to make a living will earn less or lose their jobs due to the government’s capricious policies.
The administration is sending a clear message to foreigners: You are the enemy. We don’t want to trade with you, or let you visit America either. It is precisely because foreigners want to trade with America that they’re being rejected.
Tourists are especially worried about border policies. Reports of tourists being detained for weeks or turned back at the border have increased under Trump, and his severe immigration crackdown has sent chills down the backs of millions worldwide. Travelers entering the U.S. have long been detained sporadically, but the Trump administration’s highly publicized detentions, which have prompted travel advisories worldwide, are sending a clear message to foreigners: don’t even try to come and trade with us, or you might be sent back or jailed for days. Prospective visitors rightly fear falling victim to arbitrary power.
An Australian traveler recently told CNN that “there is doubt as to whether people will get in … and that causes people to think of a better destination to visit than the U.S.A.” That uneasiness is shared by many people worldwide and is a logical response to the administration’s hostile message to foreigners.
Tourism can always decline for market reasons, as when new and better travel destinations pop up. Businesses can address that by making their offers more attractive and can plan according to foreseeable risk. But when government uses force to dramatically reduce tourism overnight, rational planning is impossible.
In short, the right of Americans to earn a living is being sacrificed in favor of Trump’s arbitrary and nonsensical anti-trade policies.
The federal government should protect U.S. borders against threats, as it has been doing for decades with a high degree of success. But there is no justification for threatening peaceful foreigners or restricting their commerce with Americans. It is an attack both on their rights and on the rights of Americans.
Agustina Vergara Cid is an associate fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute.
