Business travel to the United States declined by 9% in April, as companies and employees faced economic uncertainty along with frustration over tariffs and border policies implemented by Trump administration.
Preliminary data released Thursday by the National Travel and Tourism Office tracked the number of airline and ship passengers entering the U.S. on business visas last month.
The Middle East was the only region to experience an increase in business arrivals, up 9.4% compared to April 2024. However, this growth did not offset significant declines elsewhere—business travelers from Western Europe dropped 17.7%, for instance.
The new government figures did not account for business visitors coming from Canada or those traveling by land from Mexico. Air arrivals from Mexico holding business visas fell 11.8%, according to the government.
Meanwhile, overall travel from Canada also decreased in April. Statistics Canada reported a 20% decline in Canadian residents’ air return trips from the U.S., while car returns dropped by 35%.
Earlier in the year, business travel to the U.S. had remained relatively strong. U.S. government data shows that over 1.2 million travelers used business visas in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 7% increase from the previous year. In contrast, the number of tourists entering with visas declined by 6%. But in April, that pattern reversed—likely influenced by the late Easter holiday—with tourist visa arrivals rising 13.8%.
Whether this trend will persist remains uncertain. Aviation analytics firm Cirium noted that advance bookings from Europe to 14 U.S. cities for June through August were down 12% compared to last year.
Several U.S. airlines have withdrawn their financial forecasts for 2025, citing uncertainty and weaker demand from budget-conscious leisure travelers. Many experts believe business travel to the U.S. will continue to decline in the near future.
