Election of Democratic New York City mayor ‘triggers reversal in waning appetite for US holidays’

The election of Democratic mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York City is likely to trigger a reversal in a waning appetite for holidays to the US, a snap poll has revealed.

Holiday Extras survey of 1,000 UK adults with overseas travel plans shows signs of a turnaround in transatlantic travel sentiment. 

Asked yesterday (Wednesday) which part of the US they would be most likely to visit, 25.3% chose Mamdani’s New York, compared with just 14.8% who said they would be likely to visit the rest of president Donald Trump’s America.

When Trump returned to office in November last year, 15% said they would avoid the US, rising to 27% this month.

However, the new findings suggest that the election of Mamdani has helped the city regain the cool, inclusive and progressive image that many feel the wider US has lost, according to the holiday add-ons firm.

That shift appears to be reigniting British enthusiasm for one of the world’s top city-break destinations.

Younger travellers were especially enthusiastic about Mamdani’s win - 32% of under-25s said they are now more likely to visit New York.

Holiday Extras forecasts further growth next year in city breaks, conscientious travel, and non-EU trips as travellers look to avoid the new EES border system.

Head of public affairs Seamus McCauley said: “Politics has always shaped how people feel about holiday destinations.

“Every year we publish our Good Trips Index to help people choose destinations that reflect their values - because travellers consistently tell us that matters.

“Under Trump’s presidency, more than a quarter of British travellers had written off America altogether. Perhaps that was a reaction to the administration’s erratic detention of European tourists at the border - but this latest poll shows it’s also about attitude.

“Most holidaymakers want to visit somewhere welcoming and open-minded. Today, they’re telling us that New York now fits that bill in a way the rest of the United States just doesn’t.”