Culture tourists turning away from America due to ‘style of leadership’ and ‘unpredictability’

Exclusive: ‘Increasingly, people are taking moral positions about where they go and how they spend their money,’ says tour specialist

St Louis, Missouri, is to be linked by a new British Airways flight from London Heathrow this summer (Getty Images / iStockPhoto)

A leading operator of cultural tours has told The Independent that his clients are steering away from the United States because of a sense of “unpredictability” and concerns about Donald Trump’s “style of leadership”.

James Hill, founder of the eponymous James Hill Travels, normally runs two or three tours to the US each year – visiting what he describes as “many of the greatest collections of art in the world” in locations such as New York, Boston and Chicago. In addition, there are many mansions, gardens and cathedrals of immense interest.

But of the dozen tours Mr Hill is running for the rest of the year, none is to America.

He said: “Increasingly, people are taking moral positions about where they go and how they spend their money. For example, some may choose not to shop with Amazon, preferring to support a local bookshop, butcher or cafe.

“That same mindset now appears to be influencing travel decisions.

“The tricky thing with America is that it’s perhaps the last place you would expect to see a style of leadership more commonly associated with [places such as] Hungary, Turkey or Russia.

“It’s not just about politics or views on leadership. The bigger issue seems to be unpredictability.

“I travelled to America frequently with British groups during President Trump’s first term, and it didn’t seem to matter much whether the Democrats or Republicans were in power. Now, though, there’s a feeling that we don’t quite know what might happen by the end of the week, let alone next month.”

Last month the American president said he was decertifying all aircraft made in Canada – a threat that, had it been carried through, would have grounded hundreds of planes flying for US airlines.

The cultural tour operator said: “When planning a major trip to the US, there are many moving parts – domestic flights, public transport, car hire, different regions of the country. It’s that uncertainty, more than any individual political figure, that appears to be giving people pause.”

Earthly delights: Old Westbury Gardens, Long Island (Charlotte Hindle)

The dozen European tours that Mr Hill is operating in 2026 are heavily subscribed, with only a few places remaining.

The number of international visitors to the US fell by 5.4 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year. Earlier this week the aviation analyst OAG said transatlantic air fares for the peak months of June and July this year are down compared with 2025.

Read more: Tourists ditching US trips after fury over Trump and ICE, online poll suggests