Mexicans Are Rethinking U.S. Travel Plans in Response to Trump Tariffs

Mexico may have been exempt from new reciprocal tariffs on President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day,” but the relationship between the two countries is not unscathed.  The continued push-and-pull of tariff threats as well as the general decline in positive sentiment about the U.S. in recent months has impacted consumer behavior. 

While the more immediate impact may be felt in the boycotting of consumer goods and services from the U.S., Mexicans are also rethinking travel plans that would bring them across the border — a move that would have wide-ranging impacts on the U.S. tourism sector.

More than half of Mexicans say they’re rethinking travel to the U.S. 

Morning Consult surveyed 1,000 Mexican consumers about how much they had seen, read, or heard about proposed tariffs and what action or actions they were considering taking in response. Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) said they were canceling travel plans to the U.S., and 24% said they were considering doing so — in other words, more than half of Mexicans said they were reconsidering U.S. travel in some way.

These numbers are not far off from the shares who said they are avoiding purchases of goods and services tied to U.S. companies, which is typically easier for a consumer to justify than canceling or avoiding an international trip. It’s especially notable given the share of Mexicans that travel to the U.S. for the purpose of visiting family — not an experience that can be simply replaced or canceled.

These intentions, of course, may not manifest in action. Those who currently have plans to travel to the U.S. for business or leisure (23% of respondents) lean more toward considering canceling plans than saying they’re doing so already. But even among this group, more than half (56%) say they’re at least thinking about it, and even if a smaller fraction proceed, it would be a notable blow to U.S. tourism revenue.

Brands in the sharing economy stand to be particularly hard-hit by traveler pullbacks

From a purely financial standpoint, the impact on tourism is evident: Mexico is the second-largest inbound travel market to the U.S. (behind Canada), accounting for 21% of international visitor volume in 2024. Historical data shows that the average traveler arriving by air spends six nights in the U.S. and prioritizes shopping and sightseeing on their trips — both high-spend categories.

But while businesses across the travel and hospitality industry should be aware of potential impacts, one sector with increased risk is the sharing economy. Mexican international travelers have an affinity for short term rentals. They’re 10 points more likely than U.S. international travelers to say they stayed in a vacation rental such as Airbnb or Vrbo in the past year. They’re also staying at a higher frequency. The share who say they have stayed in one more than once in the past year is 6 points higher. 

Similarly, ride-hailing apps are more popular amongst Mexican travelers. More than 4 in 5 (82%) say they have used a service in this category in the past year, with roughly a quarter (26%) having done so 12 or more times, compared to just 10% of U.S. international travelers.

With constantly-shifting realities when it comes to tariffs and international relations more broadly, it remains to be seen how much of this threat becomes reality. But the overall decline in sentiment towards the U.S. will certainly have a measurable impact on tourism revenue in the immediate future, and brands must prepare to manage through the downturn.

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