International travel through PHL has dropped sharply amid rising anti-American sentiment abroad
Local tourism officials have already warned that Philly’s economy could suffer from a decline in visitors associated with Trump’s trade war and rhetoric toward Canada and Europe.
International travel to Philadelphia has dropped sharply this year, as potential visitors balk at President Donald Trump’s trade war and aggressive statements toward traditional allies like Canada and the European Union.
The number of non-U.S. citizens entering Philadelphia International Airport is down 10.5% since the start of the year, according to data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Local tourism officials, largely citing anecdotal evidence, have already warned that Philadelphia’s economy could suffer from rising anti-American sentiment overseas. The new data appear to give weight to those concerns.
The data show that through April 27, nearly 88,000 non-U.S. citizens have been processed by the CBP. That’s 9,237 fewer travelers than over the same period one year earlier. The number of U.S. citizens being processed by Philadelphia CBP officials rose 9%.
Declining international travel has hit other American cities, too. Overall arrivals of foreign visitors to the United States declined 12% in March compared to the previous year, according to research firm Tourism Economics. The number of Canadians returning from trips to the U.S. by land fell 32% over the same time period, and air travel also slid.
“The drops are attributable to the global fallout from the intensified ‘America First’ stance,” the firm wrote in an April 11 report.
Trump, asked about the trend by reporters at the White House last week, said: “There’s a little nationalism there, I guess, perhaps. It’s not a big deal.”
“I could see it likewise with us not wanting to go to certain countries,” he added. “But that will work out very easily.”
The Inquirer analyzed three years of CBP data and found the number of foreign travelers coming to Philadelphia rose throughout 2024, before dropping, starting in October. Overall, the number of travelers being processed by the CBP has been on the rise in Philadelphia, following national trends, as the country moves farther from the COVID-19 pandemic.
International visitors generated $1.2 billion in economic impact in Philadelphia last year, according to the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
It remains to be seen whether reduced interest in international travel to the U.S. will persist. In response to turmoil in financial markets, Trump has dialed back some of his steepest taxes on imported goods and even said last week that his 145% minimum tariffs on China would come down “substantially.”