Foreign visits into the U.S. fell off a cliff in March

Foreign arrivals into major U.S. airports tumbled in mid-to-late March compared to the same time last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Why it matters: The findings suggest a sudden reluctance to visit the U.S. isn't a purely Canadian phenomenon and should sound alarm bells for the country's $1 trillion-plus travel industry.

• Tourists to The Natural State from within the U.S. and other countries spent $9.9 billion in 2023, about 7% of the state's GDP.

Zoom in: The state doesn't publish an estimate of visitors from other countries, but Fayetteville claimed people traveled from 11 countries to compete in a 2023 U.S. Pro Cup and the area is occasionally featured in foreign media.

Driving the news: The number of foreigners passing through customs at the 10 busiest U.S. airports fell by over 20% year over year toward late March, based on a seven-day rolling average.

• A sight uptick followed, but the number was still down 18.4% as of March 28 versus the same time last year.
• Compare that to the number of U.S. citizens returning to the country, which was up nearly 14% by late March from the year earlier.

Context: Spring break may have played a role here, and many people book trips in advance with little flexibility.

💭 Worth's thought bubble: On a recent trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Moab, Utah, I observed a large number of people speaking foreign languages — Japanese, German, Spanish and others I don't know well enough to identify.

• Anecdotally, I'd guess 15-20% of the people on a popular hike to Delicate Arch appeared to use a language other than English as their first choice.
• Yes, but: It was too early to gauge any fallout from the temporary closure of Fiery Furnace, another popular area, due to federal cutbacks at national parks.

Between the lines: Trade wars, a volatile economic and political climate and fears of detainment or harassment may be dissuading foreigners from visiting the U.S.

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