by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:10 PM ET, Thu July 10, 2025
A new survey of U.S. travel advisor opinions reveals a noticeable shift in both sentiment and business strategies among advisors, related to Trump Administration policies that are negatively impacting the travel industry.
The June 2025 survey, conducted by the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), explored the fallout from recent federal executive actions such as the Trump Administration's travel bans and sweeping tariffs, including on historic U.S. allies.
The picture that has emerged based on the ASTA survey responses is an industry now plagued by newfound traveler uncertainty, which is having a variety of ramifications on travel advisors.
"Our members expressed their views plainly in our most recent national survey,” Zane Kerby, ASTA President and CEO, said in a statement.
“They are seeing hesitation in their clients, cancellations in their bookings and fear in their conversations,” Kerby continued. “They are shouldering the burden of misinformation and working overtime to educate and protect the travelers who count on them most.”
For some travel advisors, business is still thriving, Kerby explained. But for others, the picture is not so rosy. "Their survival now demands a pivot toward new markets, safer regions, more flexible pricing and above all, clear-eyed strategy,” said Kerby.
Today’s survey release is a follow-up to a previous survey of U.S. travel advisors conducted in March 2025.
ASTA said the surveys are intended to help guide industry leaders during this time of uncertainty.
Some of the key survey takeaways include:
- Survey results show a moderate but clear downward shift in consumer demand between March and June. While the proportion of agencies reporting a significant drop in demand held steady, those noting a slight decrease rose from 32.5 percent to 38.8 percent. This reflects a broadening impact across consumer segments.
- The perception of policy-driven disruption also intensified. In June, more advisors pointed to both tariffs (27.9 percent) and travel bans (12.4%) as key factors affecting their business, up from 23.1 percent and 8.3 percent respectively, in March.
- Postponements of international travel climbed to nearly 59 percent in June, up from 49 percent in March.
“While outright cancellations saw a slight decrease, this shift suggests that while travelers haven’t given up on international trips entirely, they’re increasingly opting to wait and see,” said ASTA in a press release.
- International leisure travel remains the hardest hit segment of advisor business, with 69.2 percent of advisors citing it as the most affected category—up a striking 9.2 percentage points from March.
“In the travel industry, uncertainty is poison,” Kerby said. “We
know that when consumers feel unsure about the state of the economy,
about global conflict, about whether they’ll be welcome at their
destination—they pause. They wait. Sometimes, they cancel their travel
plans altogether. In that moment, our members who are the backbone of
the travel economy pay the price.”
Respondents across both
surveys voiced concerns over economic instability, misinformation and
fears related to international safety and immigration policy.
However, tone and urgency shifted notably from March to June, according to ASTA. Many
advisors are now “anxiously reactive,” according to the industry
organization. There’s also a mounting sense of burnout, client
frustration and realignment of business models.
Themes in commentary included:
- Concerns about international perception of U.S. travelers
- Client hesitations rooted in political rhetoric and economic headwinds impacting discretionary spending.
“Looking
ahead to the rest of 2025, travel interest is still high, but so are
the potential risks and roadblocks,” said Michael Schottey, ASTA Vice
President of Membership, Marketing and Communications.
“Understanding
what’s changing and how agencies are responding is key. ASTA is here to
support that process and ensure the travel advisor community stays
informed, prepared and connected,” Schottey added.
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