In the past two administrations, the U.S. president has had a significant impact on international travel to the country. During the Trump administration, there were early gains in international visitation, but growth eventually plateaued. President Trump implemented travel bans on Muslim-majority countries and faced tensions with China, resulting in a decline in Chinese visitor arrivals. Overall, international visitation to the U.S. grew between 2017 and 2018, but decreased in 2019 before nosediving in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the Biden administration, international travel started to slowly recover toward 2019 levels. President Biden revoked previous travel bans and replaced them with Covid-19 screening requirements. However, relations between China and the U.S. remained tense, affecting the recovery of Chinese tourism. Geopolitical tensions and the closure of Russian airspace to U.S. carriers also contributed to the slow resumption of flights between the two countries. By 2023, the U.S. received 1.1 million Chinese visitors, but the country remained more expensive for travelers from countries with weaker currencies.
In terms of visas issued to international travelers, there was a steady decline in visa issuances during the Trump administration, with enhanced screening, vetting, and denials of visa applicants from countries flagged for higher security concerns. Under the Biden administration, the State Department expedited visitor visa application reviews to resolve the backlog built up during the pandemic and reduce wait times. By 2023, the State Department had filled its consular positions back to pre-pandemic levels and used remote visa application resolution to process tens of thousands of applications each week.
Overall, during the last year of the Obama presidency, 76.4 million international travelers visited the U.S. International visitors during the Trump administration reached a peak of 79.8 million in 2018 before declining slightly in 2019. In 2020, international travel plummeted due to the pandemic, but started to recover in 2021 under the Biden administration. By 2023, 66.5 million international visitors had come to the U.S. Visas issued to international travelers also saw a rebound under the Biden administration, with the State Department issuing 5.9 million visitor visas in 2023, compared to 2.2 million in 2020.
While the specific policies and actions of each administration have had an impact on international travel to the U.S., external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and currency strength have also played a role in influencing travel patterns. Moving forward, the next U.S. president will continue to have a significant influence on how many travelers from abroad can come to the country and how visa issuances are managed. It remains to be seen how future policies and global developments will shape the flow of travel into the U.S. for years to come.
