American tourists flock to European holiday hotspot — despite Trump’s attacks

The number of US visits climbed by 17 per cent compared to the previous year

France experienced a remarkable surge in American visitors during 2025, despite escalating political tensions between the US administration under Donald Trump and the French government.

This increase also occurred amid a weakening dollar, the French tourism ministry announced on Thursday.

The number of US visits climbed by 17 per cent compared to the previous year, a notable rise given the dollar's more than 10 per cent depreciation against the euro in 2025.

This currency shift followed years of a highly favourable exchange rate for Americans travelling to the eurozone.

More than five million Americans were among a record 102 million foreign tourists who flocked to France throughout the year, according to Tourism Minister Serge Papin.

This figure surpasses the 100 million international visitors recorded in 2024, a year that saw Paris host the Olympic Games. Tourists also boosted spending by nine per cent, reaching 77.5 billion euros ($91.34 billion), as they opted for more upmarket hotels.

The jump in US tourists suggests many Americans are nonplussed by Trump's worsening relations with Europe (AFP via Getty Images)

"France is a great tourist destination. Let's be proud of it and, above all, let's remain so," Papin said. "France continues to attract, lure and make the entire world dream."

The jump in US tourists suggests many Americans are nonplussed by Trump's worsening relations with Europe.

Since taking office, Trump and his team have escalated trade tension with the EU, threatened to annex Greenland, clashed with European governments over the Russia-Ukraine war and criticised EU digital regulation.

It remains to be seen if the US visitor surge will continue.

The European Travel Commission said on Wednesday it expected US visits to the continent to drop in 2026, in what would be the first sign of a slowdown in the post-pandemic boom in American travel to Europe, driven by a strong U.S. dollar and economic resilience in North America.

The European Travel Commission said on Wednesday it expected US visits to Europe to drop in 2026, (Associated Press)

The commission said it expected the fall in US visitors to be compensated by a rise in Chinese and Indian tourists who should push up international arrivals by 6.2 per cent in 2026.

The French tourism ministry said early 2026 flight booking data from countries such as Mexico and China was encouraging, but did not disclose comparable US data.