Australians nonetheless travelling to the US regardless of Trump-era border crackdowns

Australians are defying a world downturn in journey to the United States, with new figures displaying an increase in customer numbers, regardless of Donald Trump’s robust new border controls and issues about detentions and deportations.

Nearly 70,000 Australians travelled to the United States in May — up nearly 8 per cent on the identical time final 12 months, in keeping with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Year-on-year, journey from Australia to the US rose 4.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, US authorities figures present there was a 3.4 per cent drop in total worldwide visits to the US this 12 months.

Tourism researcher Professor Sara Dolnicar, from the University of Queensland, mentioned the figures confirmed Australians remained curious and open-minded travellers, even when politics received prickly.

“Australians don’t necessarily feel an acute fear or danger entering the US, unlike some other countries that have reacted strongly to announcements by the current US administration,” Ms Dolnicar mentioned.

“There’s a strong cultural tie between the US and Australia.

“Australians do not feel like they don’t seem to be welcomed by Americans.”

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has upgraded its travel advice for the US multiple times in 2025 amid a tougher approach at the border. 

While the US stays at DFAT’s lowest warning stage, Australians at the moment are urged to hold identification always and warned they might be detained on arrival.

Anxiety at border

Melbourne woman Laura Hall booked her family’s three-week US holiday more than a year ago — well before the tough US border stance and before Australian writer Alistair Kitchen was denied entry.

By the time the family boarded the plane earlier this month, Ms Hall said she was nervous.

“I believed they’d undergo my socials or grill us,” she mentioned.

“But it was seamless, the officer even really helpful eating places.”

Ms Hall used the free Mobile Passport Control app, which lets Australians with an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) pre-submit customs details. She said it helped the family skip the long immigration queue.

But not every traveller feels so relaxed.

Professor Dolnicar mentioned whereas many Australians nonetheless view the US as a bucket-list vacation spot, issues are effervescent beneath the floor, significantly round privateness and the way border officers train their powers.

“The manner borders are dealt with, cellphone checks, probing questions, that is very overseas to us.

“Australians are used to privacy and freedom.”

She mentioned some travellers could even be speeding to go to earlier than issues probably received worse.

“There’s a sense of urgency. People say, ‘If I want to go to New York, I’ll go now, before it gets harder’.”

And whereas worldwide arrivals could seem important to the US journey increase, she mentioned practically 90 per cent of tourism within the US was home.

“So the sector’s dependence on international travellers is actually quite low, though of course it matters more in places like New York or Hawaii.”

Where are Aussies heading?

While journey to the US is holding regular, the larger image exhibits Australians are flocking to Asia in droves, lured by cheaper holidays and shorter flight occasions.

In the 12 months to May 2025, outbound journey jumped 12.5 per cent to 12.21 million journeys, with Asia main the cost. 

Japan was the stand-out, with Aussie visits up 32.4 per cent, adopted by Vietnam (+25.8 per cent) and China (+26.9 per cent).

Professor Dolnicar mentioned Australia’s rising cohort of “confident, independent travellers” was much less prone to be deterred by international headlines.

“This is about disposable income and pent-up travel demand after lockdowns. Australians want to travel again,” she mentioned.

Still, the present enthusiasm for the US masks a much less rosy image for American tourism total, an business that brings greater than $215 billion into the nation in customer spending annually.

Canada — normally the US’s largest worldwide market — recorded practically a million fewer visits within the first half of 2025, down greater than 14 per cent. 

That adopted a simmering tariff battle and Trump’s suggestion that Canada ought to change into the US’s 51st state.

Middle Eastern and European arrivals have additionally dropped sharply to the US, as have guests from South Korea and China.

At the identical time, the Trump administration has slashed funding to Brand USA, the nation’s official tourism physique, by US$80 million — a transfer specialists warn might scale back the US’s visibility abroad.

“If you were dependent on international travellers, you’d be worried. Cutting Brand USA funding undermines the country’s visibility and risks losing market share,” Ms Dolcinar mentioned

From later this 12 months, a brand new US$250 “visa integrity fee” may even be imposed on most non-immigrant visa candidates. 

While Australians travelling below the visa waiver program will not be affected — specialists say it might be a deterrent for different travellers.

“It sends a message that the US is making entry harder,” Ms Dolnicar mentioned.

“And that could shift tourism flows to more welcoming destinations.”

Despite the politics, Laura Hall mentioned she’s already planning a return journey.

“I don’t like what Trump stands for, but it’s not the American people’s fault,” she mentioned.

“Everyone we met was kind — they made our trip really special.”

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