Trade reports mixed US demand due to policies and prices

Some agents have reported a rise in anti-US sentiment in response to the Trump administration’s actions so far in 2026, though many in the trade say there has been no noticeable impact on bookings.

US president Donald Trump made headlines this month following military intervention in Venezuela and comments on Greenland and Iran, as well as the fatal shooting of a civilian in Minneapolis by an US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer leading to nationwide protests. 

Despite this, several agents reported “strong” demand for destinations such as Orlando and New York, while others observed growing reticence from customers and pushback on social media.

Magical Traveller owner Kieran Eccles-Miller said several clients had cancelled their US trips and reduced their time in port pre and post-cruise.

“I am finding more clients making the decision not to travel to the US, whereas before the situation was not that big of a deal, but came up in conversation,” he said.

“Customers are very concerned about travelling to the US, particularly after Trump’s comments about Greenland and the ICE shooting.”

He said he had experienced growing negative engagement with social media posts compared to last year, adding: “One ad for my Royal Caribbean Facebook group is getting daily negative comments, saying to boycott the US and worse, and it is not even about the US specifically.”

Southampton Cruise Concierge founder Joanne Pearson also described “trolls posting negative comments” on the agency’s Facebook posts about Caribbean cruises more noticeably in past weeks, to the point she has had to hide them from public view.

“It was rare but is now more frequent, especially in the past couple of weeks,” she said. “I haven’t had anyone cancel, however.”

Paramount Cruises head of sales Patrick Hill said he had seen “negative sentiment around US-related content” online since January 2025, but this had “not noticeably worsened” in recent weeks.

“From a bookings perspective, we’ve seen a clear downturn in US bookings and demand over the last 12 months, driven by a combination of factors including rising costs, wider economic pressures and changing travel behaviour, with some customers actively rethinking long-haul travel to the US,” he said.

Hill added the recent “constant stream of negative news is not helping", creating “another reason [for customers] to pause, delay or hold off booking”, but he stressed the specialist was “fully committed" to its US suppliers and partners.

Meanwhile, other travel businesses continued to see “strong” demand for the US, with some choosing to change their social media tactics.

The Travel Business owner Ellie Fowler said she “not noticed any changes” to US enquiries or bookings, but had been “very careful and cautious” about how much US content she posts on social accounts this year to avoid “major viral threats and abuse from Trump warriors”.

Last year, the Newport-based agent had a post about the US go viral “for all the wrong reasons”, with thousands of negative interactions.

Murray Travel co-founder Scott Murray said the agency had “dialled down” US marketing not due to negativity on social media, but instead to post about their own product, including charters and escorted tours.

 “We haven’t seen much of an impact [in booking levels] to America and people who want to go to the States will go regardless,” he said.

When asked about World Cup bookings following Scotland’s qualification for the tournament, Murray said there had been enquiries, but “ridiculous” pricing was “putting people off” booking.

Murray said: “I think when the prices settle down a bit we might see an uptick in World Cup bookings.” 

Premier Travel consultant Jules Taylor said she had not posted anything US-related since last year and not taken a booking in more than a year, while Henbury Travel director Richard Slater noted the Macclesfield shop had had no bookings to the US throughout peaks.

Slater said: "This is a continuation of a trend we have seen with people not wanting to travel there while Trump is in power."

However, USAirtours founder Guy Novik noted the specialist had “not received similar feedback” about US-focused offers on social media, and that they had not seen a drop-off in calls about the destination and US bookings were up 10% year-on-year.

Travel Den founder Gilli Knight said she and her eight-strong team also “had no experience of any pushback on social media” and were “still selling the US strongly”.

However, she noted there were “a few people” who have decided not to attend the World Cup this summer.

She said: “When discussing plans with clients, the situation is mentioned but does not deter them wanting to go there, knowing that if the Foreign Office advice changes that the protection that Abta and Travel Den give them is enough to not put them at any kind of risk.”

Travel Chaps co-founder Matt Phillips added to this saying the recent news can be "a positive reinforcement” for booking with a trusted agent and there had been “no material impact on destination choice or sales”. 

He added the agency had received 20 plus enquiries over peaks for breaks to the US, such as city breaks to Orlando and New York, fly-cruises and couple or family holidays.

“To date, we have not had one client bring any of the US politics up, and most bookings have been for 2026 lates or 2027,” he said. “There are always dramas and things going on in the world, but people still want to see it.”

Sunlounger Travel director Iain Kirkbright said that staff across the agency’s five branches had not observed a rise in negative comments online and were “still seeing good enquiries and demand for the US”, with no cancellations so far this year.

Advantage Travel Partnership described the US as continuing to be one of the most in-demand long-haul destinations for 2026, with Orlando, New York and Las Vegas leading the way. 

 

“Importantly, members are reporting no negative sentiment around booking the US, and interest is only set to grow further this year,” the consortium noted while flagging a 17% year on year rise in overall sales revenue last weekend with average booking value up 8%. 

 

Chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “Both booking volumes and revenue were more than 90% ahead of the previous weekend, a natural but telling acceleration as January progresses.” 

 

Several major events are acting as “powerful demand” drivers to the US. The Fifa World Cup, jointly hosted with Canada and Mexico, is already sparking increased enquiries, while experiences such as Route 66 road trips and America 250th anniversary celebrations across all destinations are encouraging travellers to see the country in a deeper, more meaningful way. 

 

“For travellers, this means 2026 is shaping up to be a standout year for bucket-list US trips, whether that’s city breaks, theme parks or classic fly-drive adventures,” Advantage pointed out.

Advantage commercial director John Sullivan said: “Following the recent news of Trump’s actions in Venezuela as well as his domestic policy changes, we are not seeing any direct impact which is affecting future bookings to the US. 

"Historic milestones are driving early forward bookings and heightened search activity for travel to the US, particularly among long-haul visitors looking to combine sporting events with cultural and heritage experiences.”