Tourism boards are the latest victims of the current tariff war, as Visit California ceo Caroline Beteta reveals that California’s travel industry is beginning to feel the impact.
While international tourism has long been a cornerstone of California’s economy, Beteta says the new political and economic headwinds are testing that momentum. “Travel isn’t tariffed, but our industry is not immune to the ripple effects,” she says. “For the first time since the height of the pandemic, Feb arrivals data showed a year-over-year decline in international visitation to California.”
New analysis from travel intelligence platform Mabrian shows that international demand for travel to the US overall is now unstable. The company analysed flight searches to the US Jan-Mar from 10 key source markets, for travel up to Sep 2025. It found European interest in the US is diminishing, with drops for demand also seen in some Asian and Americas markets, most notably Japan and Brazil. Mabrian’s Carlos Cendra says while travel demand is always capable of being resilient, sudden policy shifts or added difficulties to visit the country project a less-friendly image of the US as a destination, which might influence travel intent in the short- and medium-term. “Data on the weekly evolution of inspirational demand to the US for the next six months reflects the weakened consumer confidence from travellers in these top source markets when considering the US as a travel destination over the next six months,” he says. Agents should expect shorter planning and booking cycles, favouring last-minute reservations, as Mabrian says more travellers are likely to take a ‘wait-and-see approach’.
