Ann Wason Moore opinion: America’s tourism pain can be Australia’s gain

Donald Trump’s second spell in the White House has had one extraordinary effect that can spell great news for Australia if we play our cards right.

Thank you, President Trump.

That’s right, the ‘Daddy’ of the world, the leader of the land of the free and the home of the brave, has found favour in this little Aussie-American’s heart.

Why? Because his regime of fear and anxiety is turning tourists towards our own town and country.

Whether or not you support Mr Trump’s policies, the truth is you may no longer be welcomed onto US soil … but that means that there’s no better time for Gold Coasters to say g’day to tourists scared of being turned away.

It seems every week there is another shocking story of some tourist being turned away – or even detained – by US immigration control. Phones are seized, social media accounts are studied and reasons, however tenuous, are found to deny entry. And that ends not just that particular visit, it also means the person most likely will never be granted entry to the country again.

Less people are choosing to travel to the United States on holidays.

It’s a huge gamble to take in an age where almost everyone has liked or received some form of politically-inspired social media meme, or engaged in a joke that, should an immigration official want to, could be perceived as incriminating.

Look at the case of the Aussie blogger who had his phone seized and was ‘interrogated’ about his views on the Middle East before he was sent back to Melbourne. The official reason given for his rejection was that officers found evidence of prior drug use, despite that drug use being the legal consumption of marijuana in the state of New York.

Then there was the Norwegian tourist who said he was denied entry into the US after immigration agents took issue with a meme of Vice President JD Vance on his phone. Once again, US Homeland Security officials said he was turned away for admitting drug use.

Regardless of whether these reasons were legitimate or not, the result is that tourists are wary of travelling to America.

Even our own government is urging Aussies to think twice, with DFAT updating its travel advice.

“US authorities have broad powers to decide if you’re eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law,” DFAT’s Smartraveller website reads.

“US officials may ask to inspect travellers’ electronic devices, emails, text messages or social media accounts.”

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Australia has just updated terms for those seeking to apply for non-immigrant student visas, stating that all applicants are “required to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States”.

US President Donald Trump. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP.

It’s chilling stuff.

And it’s the reason why the United States is on track to lose $12.5 billion in international travel spending this year, a 22.5 per cent decline from the 2019 peak, according to the latest Economic Impact Research, published by the World Travel and Tourism Council in May.

According to early 2025 industry forecasts, outbound travel from Australia to the US is down by nearly 18 per cent with airlines adjusting their routes, travel agencies seeing reduced inquiries and hotel chains reporting fewer bookings from Australian visitors.

That evidence is backed up anecdotally as well. Right now, I cannot think of one person who is considering a visit to the States, but I can think of plenty who were.

I can also think of a few who have actually cancelled tickets, at great personal cost, simply because they do not want to risk being detained and permanently locked out of the country.

Do they have any real reason to fear such a result? Not really, but such is the atmos-fear of US immigration.

It’s crazy to think this is where we’re at.

However, as a tourism city and nation, let’s take these lemons and make lemonade.

If Aussies don’t want to travel to the States, let’s tempt them with a domestic stay-cation. If our Asian and European mates don’t want to risk an American interrogation, let’s remind them of the friendliness that defines our Down Under culture.

Already, we’re seeing strength in our local industry, with Tourism Research Australia figures showing that overnight holiday-makers to the Gold Coast spent a total of $1.3 billion in the financial quarter from January through March.

That made the city the biggest holiday market in Queensland and the second-largest in Australia – losing out to Melbourne by just $200m … and that’s with a cyclone thrown in.

So while the world waits to see just how the American landscape changes over the next few years, let’s take this opportunity to seize the day … even as our American friends seize the tourists.

Originally published as Ann Wason Moore opinion: America’s tourism pain can be Australia’s gain