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- Travelers are canceling Utah trips due to tariffs and border concerns.
- Canada, UK, Germany, and Ireland issued travel advisories against U.S. travel.
- International visitors make up 7-9% of Utah's tourism economy, mainly from Canada.
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah's stunning landscapes pull in visitors from all over the world.
Hikers from Canada and Germany told KSL just a few weeks ago that the state's natural beauty blew them away. But now other travelers are canceling their trips, frustrated with tariffs and worried about arrests at the border.
Some are being warned by their own countries about immigration crackdowns in the United States. Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and other nations have issued travel advisories in recent weeks.
Travel forecasting company Tourism Economics projects foreign visitation to the U.S. this year will dip 9.4.%, driven by a 20.2% drop in tourists from Canada.
In Utah, Canadians make up about 40% of international visitation, contributing at least five times more than any other country in 2023, according to state data.
"We see them as snowbirds that are making their way to the southern states and then back home to Canada," said Natalie Randall, managing director of the tourism office and Utah Film Commission.
Hockey fans Leonard and Laurel McAuliffe planned to be among those visitors this spring. The couple from Winnipeg is working toward a goal of seeing every NHL arena in the United States and planned to stop in Las Vegas before visiting Salt Lake City's Delta Center and spending a week in Utah.
But the McAuliffes got frustrated when President Donald Trump announced new tariffs. They also grew concerned about what they'd encounter at the border and eventually called off the trip.
"It was constantly changing," Leonard McAuliffe said. "So we're making all these plans and he's implementing all kinds of new policies from day one of his presidency, you know, signing all kinds of executive orders, and we just didn't want to get caught in the crossfire."
The couple is six stadiums short of their goal. They plan to resume the tour within the next few years.
"We just want things to be a little bit more certain for us," Leonard McAuliffe said.
Other would-be travelers lamented on social media in recent weeks that they're scrapping trips to the Beehive State because of similar concerns.
Even though international visitors to Utah are more likely to stay longer and spend more than American tourists, travelers from overseas contribute only seven to nine percent of Utah's tourism economy, Randall said.
"International is still a critical piece to our economy, but domestic makes up the predominant lion's share," Randall said.
She said it's too soon to know the impact of any reduced tourism in Utah, and business owners catering to travelers are reporting a mix of experiences.
As she gathers more data, she's confident people overseas are still taking interest in Utah as they plan future getaways.
"The national parks, state parks, public lands, all of those spaces — the international visitor is inspired by that," she said.
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