US sees biggest drop in Australian visitors since Covid as travellers avoid $ Trump’s America

Australians are increasingly avoiding travel to the US under Donald Trump’s second presidency, fresh data shows, with forecasters expecting tourist numbers to plummet further throughout the year. Official statistics from the US International Trade Administration reveal the number of visitors from Australia in March 2025 was down by 7% compared with March 2024 – a reduction of 4,559 people. This is the largest decline since March 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was disrupting international travel. The figures – which count any visit of one or more nights – also show sharp drops in visitors from Europe and other areas, as countries updated their travel advice for the US. Overseas arrivals to the US from all origins dropped 11.6% in March, the government data showed. The downturn in travel following Trump’s inauguration exceeded even the global tourism industry’s worst case predictions, according to travel analytics group Tourism Economics. Aside from the long-term weakness in the Australian dollar meaning more expensive holidays, a string of incidents with US border protocols since January may have left some reconsidering their destination. Guardian Australia last week reported the case of an Australian man with a working visa who was detained and deported on returning to the US. The man alleged border officials called him “retarded” and boasted “Trump is back in town”. Meanwhile, an award-winning Australian comedian cancelled a planned trip to the US after receiving legal advice that she could be stopped at the border due to her previous jokes about the Trump administration.<br/>