Danish tourist Kennet Brask canceled his Florida fishing trip after witnessing President Donald Trump’s controversial meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. “Trump’s behavior was so rude—I won’t visit the US while he’s president,” Brask told news media, Reuters. Like many Europeans, he’s opting for alternative destinations like Mexico over the United States.
Travel agencies across Europe have been report a growing trend of Danes, Germans, and other EU travelers boycotting US trips due to Trump’s policies, including: stricter US visa and border controls, trade war tensions with Europe, and controversial remarks on Greenland (a Danish territory).
Already, preliminary US travel data (NTTO) has revealed a 1% drop in Western European visitors in February 2024, with sharp declines from: Slovenia (-26%), Switzerland (-15%), Belgium (-12%), and Denmark (-6%)– where Trump’s Greenland comments fueled backlash.
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For starters, Europeans have noticeably shifted to Canada and Mexico. German travelers are choosing Canada over the US, with agencies like America Unlimited reporting record bookings. Canadian tourists are also avoiding the US, driving a 32% surge in European summer rentals. (Data gotten from Key Data Analytics).
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Copenhagen’s Albatros Travel has stopped US tour promotions entirely. “Clients aren’t interested, especially after the Greenland remarks,” said product manager Steen Albrechtsen. Meanwhile, TUI Group still bets on US city breaks and camper tours for German travelers. Germany’s and the UK governments also updated travel advisories, highlighting stricter US entry rules.
