Drop in international travel to U.S. could continue

For a few hopeful weeks this summer, abright billboard on the major highway linking Toronto to New York greeted Canadian drivers with a simple message: “Buffalo Loves Canada.”

- RIO YAAMAT

TONY GUTIERREZ Associated Press TRAVELERS wait at a checkpoint before boarding international flights at Dallas Fort Worth airport Friday.

The marketing campaign, which included a $500 gift card giveaway, was meant to show Buffalo's northern neighbors they were welcome, wanted and missed.

At first, it seemed like it might work, said Patrick Kaler, chief executive of the local tourism organization Visit Buffalo Niagara. More than 1,000 people entered the giveaway. But by the end of July, it was clear the city’s reliable summer wave of Canadian visitors would not arrive this year.

Buffalo's struggle reflects abroader downturn in international tourism to the U.S. that travel analysts warn could persist well into the future. From northern border towns to major hot spots such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, popular travel destinations reported hosting fewer foreign visitors this summer.

Experts and some local officials attribute the trend that first emerged in February to President Trump's return to the White House. They say his tariffs, immigration crackdown and repeated jabs about the U.S. acquiring Canada and Greenland alienated travelers from other parts of the world.

“To see the traffic drop off so significantly, especially because of rhetoric that can bechanged, isso disheartening,” Kaler said.

U.S. projected to lose foreign visitors

The World Travel & Tourism Council projected ahead of Memorial Day that the U.S. would be the only country among the 184 it studied where foreign visitor spending would fall in 2025. The finding was “a clear indicator that the global appeal of the U.S. is slipping,” the global industry association said.