Europeans Shun US Despite World Cup

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, fewer Europeans visited the United States in May, raising questions about whether the tournament will be enough to reverse the recent decline in international tourism, Forbes Daily reported.

The FIFA World Cup is widely expected to increase international travel. (Photo: FIFA World Cup Facebook)

European visits to the United States fell by 1.6 percent in May.

The U.S. Travel Association (USTA) expects the World Cup to boost international travel spending this year. However, it also warned that the country could lose as many as 2 million visitors if declines in European travel persist through the remainder of the year.

The broader decline in international tourism has also been attributed to reduced travel from Canada.

Some observers have linked the drop in Canadian visitors to political tensions between Washington and Ottawa, including President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks suggesting that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, as well as trade disputes involving tariffs on Canadian goods.

Reports indicate that some Canadian consumers have responded by reducing travel to the United States and avoiding certain American products.

Whether the World Cup can offset these declines remains uncertain, but tourism officials are closely monitoring international travel trends ahead of the tournament.