More Dutch travelers avoiding the U.S. this summer due to safety and border concerns

The demand amongst Dutch residents to travel to the United States this summer is declining rapidly, the travelers’ association ANWB reported on Friday based on their own “recent representative studies.”

The studies showed that the number of people who were planning on traveling to the U.S. has declined significantly over the last three months. In March, 43 percent of the people questioned indicated that they were less likely to travel to the U.S. This percentage had risen to 62 percent in May. A large majority of the over 2,000 people who took part in the study also indicated that they were “much less likely” to travel to the country.

Reasons mentioned for avoiding the U.S. included geopolitical tensions, safety concerns, and stricter border controls. These more stringent checks have been in place since the U.S. President Donald Trump’s election.

The travel advisory for people in the LGTBQ+ community traveling to the U.S. was altered in March because “laws and customs may differ from those in the Netherlands.” Currently, there are also protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s actions against immigrants.

The ANWB has also noticed a change in booking behaviors. “We are seeing that people are more likely to opt for a European destination or a domestic vacation due to the unrest in the U.S. and tensions in other areas of the world,” Seré Seesing, a travel expert for the ANWB, stated.

For people who do travel to the United States, the ANWB advises them to be prepared for stricter border controls, to check the validity of their passports and visas, and to take out good travel insurance with medical coverage. A credit card with sufficient credit and important phone numbers is also recommended.