"At the same time, however, the United States is hemorrhaging billions in tourism revenue by the year, a downward trend many experts credit to President Donald Trump's nationalistic approach to immigration. In December, the administration expanded its travel ban to 39 countries-most of them in Africa-that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem claimed had "been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies" on X."
"For a while, the administration's general hostility toward immigrants and visitors from other nations didn't appear to significantly impact the American traveler. But as the US tightens its visa requirements for visitors, other nations are now responding in kind: Over the past year, the US has lost visa-free access to seven nations-including Brazil, which reintroduced visa requirements for Americans in reciprocation for US restrictions. The result? The US passport is rapidly losing its strength."
Global travel surged past pre-pandemic levels with total gross bookings at $1.67 trillion in 2025 and airlines projected to carry a record 5.2 billion people in 2026. Simultaneously, the United States is losing billions in tourism revenue as visa restrictions and an expanded travel ban targeting 39 mostly African countries create reciprocal responses. Several countries have raised visa fees or reinstated requirements for Americans, causing the US to lose visa-free access to multiple nations, including Brazil. The US passport has fallen in power, ranked tenth with visa-free access to 179 destinations, down from prior rankings.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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