French Tourists are Skipping the USA
The post-pandemic travel boom to the United States has hit a major wall. In 2025, tourism from France, once one of America’s most reliable sources of visitors, dropped by nearly 7%, and as 2026 begins, the situation for the U.S. travel industry is looking even bleaker.
Recent data from the Syndicat des Entreprises du Tour Operating (SETO) confirms that the downturn is accelerating into a full-scale crisis. As of late December 2025, organized trip reservations for the U.S. for Summer 2026 were down by more than 29%.
This follows a previous fiscal year where “package” holidays had already tumbled by 14.6%.
Travel experts have labeled this sustained decline the “Trump Effect,” a combination of high costs, aggressive vetting, and a perceived “unwelcoming” atmosphere that is pushing French vacationers toward Canada and Asia instead.
Digital Privacy Fears
The most significant policy-driven deterrent is a new requirement for travelers to surrender their digital history. Under a 2025 executive order, even visitors from “Visa Waiver” countries like France must now provide five years of social media handles, email addresses, and phone numbers before they can even board a plane.
In France, where personal privacy is a deeply held cultural and legal value, this “extreme vetting” has sparked a massive backlash. Many French tourists feel that handing over their private online lives to a foreign government is an unacceptable trade-off for a vacation.
This has led to a “chilling effect,” where casual tourists opt for countries that don’t demand a digital strip-search upon entry.
Friction at the Border
The friction doesn’t end with the application process. “Extreme vetting” has moved into the airport terminals, where French travelers are reporting much longer wait times and more aggressive questioning by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Reports of agents searching personal devices or questioning tourists about their political views have gone viral in European media. This “bad buzz” has created a feeling that the U.S. is no longer a stress-free holiday spot.
For many French families, the risk of a hostile encounter at the border is enough to cancel plans and head to Japan or Europe instead.
The Rising Cost of Entry
Economics and politics are colliding to make the U.S. feel like a “prestige-only” destination. Between 2024 and 2025, the cost of a standard two-week trip for a French family skyrocketed from roughly €3,000 to over €5,500.
This is partly due to U.S. inflation, where a simple breakfast in a tourist area can now cost upwards of $40.
The administration has also introduced new fees that specifically target foreigners. A new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” and a $100 per-person surcharge for international visitors to enter National Parks like the Grand Canyon have reinforced the feeling that the U.S. is “nickeling and diming” tourists.
These fees are being framed as “America First” policies, but for the French, they simply look like a “closed” sign.
The Canada Alternative
The biggest winner in this shift has been Canada. French tourism to Canada is surging as travelers seek the “North American landscape” without the administrative baggage.
Canada offers a shared language in Quebec, a much more favorable exchange rate, and a welcoming entry process that stands in sharp contrast to current U.S. policies.
Industry data shows that for every percentage point the U.S. loses in international visitor spending, the economy loses roughly $1.8 billion.
As French tourists continue to pivot toward the north, the U.S. travel sector faces a long road to recovery, even with major events like the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.