Some international LGBTQ+ travelers pull back on U.S. trips

Canadian citizen Robert Sharp was planning to visit Provincetown, Massachusetts — one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly places in America — for his friend’s milestone birthday in July.

But against a backdrop of ongoing trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump‘s tariff policies and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies in the U.S., he said his plans changed.

“Do we want to have that stress before going on vacation? Or do we want to support our own country?” Sharp said.

The group he was planning to travel with decided to cancel the trip and will instead visit Montreal, he said.

Sharp and his partner were also planning to visit Chicago or Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a separate trip this year, but they shifted their plans to a Canadian road trip between Calgary and Vancouver.

“We’ve been hit hard in Canada with tariffs and there’s been a real sense of patriotism up here. So, we ultimately decided to explore our own country, and do a road trip to the Rockies and spend money within Canada to help our economy,” Sharp said.

Sharp’s change in plans reflects a larger trend of international travelers rethinking where they are spending their travel budgets and pulling back on visits to the U.S.

The number of foreign visitors to the U.S. by air dropped 10% in March from a year prior, according to the International Trade Administration, part of the Commerce Department. Including land border crossings, inbound visitors to the U.S. fell 14% in March from the same period last year, according to the industry group.

Oxford Economics estimates spending among international visitors to the U.S. will fall $8.5 billion this year, as negative perceptions of the U.S. tied to trade and immigration policy lead travelers to other destinations.

Among the LGBTQ+ population, bookings for queer-friendly housing accommodations in the U.S. on the LGBTQ+ travel platform misterb&b saw a 66% decline among Canadian users and a 32% decline among European users from February to April, compared with the same period last year.

The company said it had a 22% increase in bookings in blue states and a 9% decline in red states during that time period. It also saw declines in cities within red states including Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Austin, Texas.

Misterb&b CEO Matthieu Jost said overall bookings on the platform are not down globally but are increasing. Jost said LGBTQ+ individuals appear to be continuing to spend on vacations, but they’re changing their destinations.

The company said the majority of misterb&b users it surveyed this year said they use their travel budget as a form of activism — supporting inclusive destinations and economies.

In his second term, Trump has signed several executive orders targeting transgender people, including preventing them from serving openly in the military and trying to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ and women’s sports.

Another executive order, which says the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female, prompted several countries, including Denmark, Finland and Germany, to issue official cautions for LGBTQ+ travelers visiting the U.S., particularly transgender travelers. Canada has also updated its travel guidance with specific advisories for people with an “X” gender listed on their passports.

Kennedy said another reason for the decision not to travel to the U.S. was to push back on what she views as “economic warfare” from the U.S. toward Canada.

“People talk about Canada and the U.S. having a long history of being incredible neighbors. And yes, we do, but that’s based on economic interests a lot of the time,” Kennedy said. “When you put that human element with the economic element, then you think, well, OK, why would I go there?”

Kennedy said members of Egale Canada who are involved in nongovernmental organizations would normally spend anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 per person during a trip to attend a conference or event. Corporate travelers…