A new “visa integrity rate” of $ 250 imposed on travelers to the United States risks accumulating more pressure on the travel industry in difficulties, since arrivals abroad continue to fall due to the repression of President Donald Trump about immigration and hostility to many foreign countries.
The trips abroad to the US.
The new visa rate, which will enter into force on October 1, adds an additional obstacle to travelers from exemption countries that are not visa such as Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China. The additional position increases the total visa cost to $ 442, one of the highest visitors in the world, according to the United States Travel Association, a membership organization.
“Any friction that we add to the traveler’s experience will reduce travel volumes by a certain amount,” said Gabe Rizzi, president of Altaur, a global travel management company. “As summer ends, this will become a more pressing problem, and we will have to take into account rates in travel budgets and documentation.”
It is expected that the spending of international visitors in the United States falls below $ 169 billion this year, below $ 181 billion in 2024, according to the Travel & Tourism Council.
The visa rate reinforces a gloomy perception of the US. Uu. Bajo Trump, whose immigration policies, cuts foreign aid and radical tariffs have eroded the attraction of the United States as a destination, even with great events such as the FIFA 2026 World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games in the horizon.
The Trump Administration proposed on Wednesday a government regulation that aims to harden the duration of the visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.
At the beginning of August, the Administration said that the United States may require bonds of up to $ 15,000 for some tourist and business visas under a pilot program that effective on August 20 that will last approximately one year, in an effort to take energetic measures against visitors who exceed their visas.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford economy consultancy, predicted in December 2024 that traveling abroad to the United States in 2025 would increase more than 10 per year after year. Instead, he is on the way to falling 3pc, said Aran Ryan, director of Studies of the Tourism Economics Industry.
“We see it as a sustained setback, and we anticipate that much is in its place throughout the administration,” Ryan said.
The most affected
It is likely that the newest visa rate will be more affected in the countries of Central and South American America that have been a rare bright point for US trips. UU. This year.
As of May, Mexico’s trips to the United States rose almost 14 percent in 2025, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.
Argentina’s arrivals rose 20pc and Brazil 4.6pc to date. In general, trips from Central America grew 3pc and South America 0.7pc, compared to a decrease of 2.3pc of Western Europe.
In China, arrivals have remained turned off from the pandemic, and the July numbers remain 53pc below the 2019 levels. The visa rate also threatens trips from India, where visits have dropped 2.4 percent so far this year, conducted by a fall of almost 18 % in students.
For some, the increase in rates will be absorbed as one more cost on an already expensive trip to the United States.
“The United States has always been selective about its visitors. If its financial position is not up to it, obtaining a visa is difficult anyway,” said his shu, founder of China Moment Travel in Chengdu.
As foreign visitors face higher entry rates, US travelers care about the strictest requirements abroad, said James Kitchen, travel agent and owner of the 2 Day & Travel.
“Travelers have expressed concern about reciprocal rates that can be imposed in the coming months,” Kitchen said.
