UK arrivals to the US up year on year despite concerns

UK visitor numbers to the US are holding firm despite concern over the impact of the Trump administration’s global trade policies and the value of the dollar, official government figures indicate.

Analysis of flight arrivals by the US Department of Commerce suggests the UK market in the year to the end of May is up 2.7% at 1.57 million, with May 2.4% ahead of the same month in 2024.

Some national media reports suggested a ‘Trump slump’ had started to take effect when figures from the department’s International Trade Administration showed a 14% year-on-year decline in UK arrivals during March.

However, that dip could largely be attributed to the timing of Easter, which fell in March last year, and that assessment was borne out by a 15.1% year-on-year increase in UK arrivals in April.

The 2.4% increase in May equated to 364,071 arrivals by air.

Despite the resilience of the UK market, total international visitor numbers by air to the US were down 2.8% in May and are 0.8% behind for the year to date.

While Italy and Spain join the UK in tracking ahead of last year, German visitor numbers are 10.1% behind 2024 figures, while French visitors are down 8.4%.

Overall international visitor numbers will be significantly further behind 2024, with land arrivals from Canada and Mexico not included in the data.

Analyst Tourism Economics predicts the Canadian market will be down 20% on last year, while data from Statistics Canada suggested a 40% decline last month.

The positive UK numbers back up data presented at the Travel Network Group conference this weekend.

Members were told the US remained the consortium’s top long-haul destination, with chief commercial officer Vim Vithaldas admitting he was “very surprised” about the destination’s ongoing popularity despite a recent improvement in exchange rates.

He said: “I am very surprised to see US still at number one, as – talking to members and suppliers – people say it is too expensive or that they don’t like the politics, so they can’t afford it or they are boycotting it.

“But they are still going.”