California Braces for Decline in International Tourists

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

President Trump may have taken a softer tone in his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week, but whether that will quell the anger and bring Canadians back to the U.S remains to be seen. California tourism experts cite Trump’s trade policies and nationalist rhetoric for a projected 9% drop in international travelers this summer, with the sharpest declines among Canadian and Mexican tourists who spend more here than tourists from any other country. We look at how the Trump administration is affecting California tourism and hear from you: Has anyone told you they won’t be visiting the U.S. this year? Guests: Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer, Los Angeles Times McKenzie McMillan, travel advisor, The Travel Group, a Vancouver travel agency Kenny Cassady, director of business development, Acme House Co. in Palm Springs; board member, Visit Greater Palm Springs; board president, Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs (VRON-PS) Pete Hillan, spokesperson, California Hotel and Lodging Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:05.8	From KQED in San Francisco, this is for them.
1:06.7	I'm Mina Kim.
1:12.9	President Trump may have taken a softer tone in his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week,
1:18.3	but whether that will quell the anger or bring Canadians back to the U.S. remains to be seen.
1:23.0	California tourism experts cite Trump's nationalist rhetoric and trade policies for a projected 9% drop in international travelers this summer,
1:27.3	with the sharpest declines among Canadian and Mexican tourists
1:31.0	who spend more here than tourists from anywhere else.
1:34.5	We take a closer look at the impact on California after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim.
1:51.4	Flights to California from Mexico, the UK, and Germany drop by some 25% in March, compared to the same time last year.
1:59.0	From Canada, they've already dropped by 15 percent,
2:02.6	prompting Governor Newsom last month to launch a campaign directed at Canadian tourists.
	...

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