Fact check: Travel from EU to US has decreased more than 15% in 2025. Similarly, travel from US to EU has also decreased bigly.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement is partially accurate regarding EU to US travel. Data confirms a 17% decrease in Western European travel to the US in March 2025 ^{[1] [1]}, with specific declines from:

• Germany: 29% decrease
• UK: 15% decrease ^[1]

However, the statement's claim about US to EU travel cannot be verified as none of the provided sources contain data about US outbound travel to Europe.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual factors are omitted from the original statement:

• The decline is part of a broader international travel downturn affecting multiple regions, not just EU-US travel ^[1]
• A proposed new travel ban by the Trump administration targeting up to 43 countries is being considered, which could further impact these numbers ^[2]
• Countries may be categorized into red, orange, and yellow zones with different levels of restrictions ^[3]
• Experts predict that international travel recovery won't occur until 2029 due to ongoing trade tensions and policy changes ^[4]
• Other regions are also experiencing significant declines:

Canada: Projected 20.5% decrease

Overall foreign visitation: 11% drop ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains several problematic elements:

• The use of informal language ("bigly") reduces credibility and suggests potential political bias
• It oversimplifies a complex situation by focusing only on EU-US travel when the decline is actually global in scope ^[5]
• It fails to acknowledge the broader context of trade tensions and policy changes driving these trends ^[4]
• The statement implies symmetrical decline in both directions, but only provides evidence for one direction

Those who might benefit from this narrative include:

• Domestic tourism industries in both the US and EU, who could use this to promote local travel
• Political actors supporting the "America First" stance, as this data could be used to justify stricter travel policies ^[4]
• Competing international destinations that could attract travelers who might otherwise choose US-EU routes