Some international LGBTQ+ travelers pull back on U.S. trips: 'Why would I go there?' [View all]

Source: NBC News/CNBC

July 7, 2025, 3:41 PM EDT / Source: CNBC


Canadian citizen Robert Sharp was planning to visit Provincetown, Massachusetts — one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly places in America — for his friend’s milestone birthday in July. But against a backdrop of ongoing trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies in the U.S., he said his plans changed.

“Do we want to have that stress before going on vacation? Or do we want to support our own country?” Sharp said. The group he was planning to travel with decided to cancel the trip and will instead visit Montreal, he said.

Sharp and his partner were also planning to visit Chicago or Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a separate trip this year, but they shifted their plans to a Canadian road trip between Calgary and Vancouver. “We’ve been hit hard in Canada with tariffs and there’s been a real sense of patriotism up here. So, we ultimately decided to explore our own country, and do a road trip to the Rockies and spend money within Canada to help our economy,” Sharp said.

Sharp’s change in plans reflects a larger trend of international travelers rethinking where they are spending their travel budgets and pulling back on visits to the U.S.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/international-lgbtq-travelers-pull-back-us-trips-go-rcna217298