Almost half of Americans are reconsidering traveling overseas because of safety fears while on vacation, a new poll reveals.
Four in 10 Americans are getting cold feet about their next vacation due to how “unsafe” they will be, the poll by Talker Research found.
Anxieties about traveling overseas include concerns about getting hurt (31 percent), government policies (40 percent), current perceptions about American tourists (39 percent), not knowing much about their destination (27 percent), and potential delays and cancellations to the journey (42 percent).
Fears of traveling internationally have increased for Americans who have only previously vacationed at home and those who have gone overseas before.
It comes as the State Department issued a worldwide caution security alert for U.S. travelers following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran.
“The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East,” the department warned on June 22. “There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.”
On the flip side, some tourists are turning away from traveling to the U.S. partly because of concern over what is happening at the borders.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is deterring some travelers from visiting the U.S. Travel from Canada and Mexico, the largest source of inbound visitors to the U.S., is down about 20 per cent year-over-year, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Visits from British, German and South Korean travelers are also trending lower.
Overall, overseas travel to the U.S. fell about 12 per cent year-over-year in March but rose 8 per cent in April, according to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.
Since President Donald Trump took office, there have been many stories of temporary visitors with innocuous itineraries being imprisoned for days or weeks. Some had minor visa issues that would normally have seen them simply turned away. Others insisted they had done everything correctly and were victims of a misunderstanding.
The chance of actually being detained as a visitor still appears low in absolute terms. Still, the industry research firm Tourism Economics predicted a 5.1 percent drop in overseas travelers to the U.S. for 2025 as a whole, where previously it had forecast an 8.8 percent gain.