Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr (Donald Trump) / Inside the MagicIt’s been months since the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed Congress and the president signed it into law. With the quick passage of the law, we are just starting to figure out some of the provisions contained in the 1,000+ page legislation, and one portion of the bill will directly impact the already reeling tourism industry.
A provision in the bill could also impact your next travel experience. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” adds a new tax on international travel at a time when American tourist destinations are struggling to attract new visitors.
A provision in the bill calls for a $250 non-refundable “visa integrity fee” for all international visitors not entering the country on a non-immigrant visa. However, while the new fees have not gone into effect, they have caused chaos for travelers and those who are meant to collect them.
The new fee brings the total cost of a United States travel visa to $442, one of the highest in the world. These increased fees add another travel hurdle for visitors coming to America from non-visa waiver countries like Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil, and China.
International travel to the United States is down three percent this year over last year; however, the problem has gotten significantly worse as the year has progressed. As a result of this decline, the travel industry is expected to lose $12-$19 billion this year.
While travel to America from countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany has generally declined, it has increased from China and South American countries. However, this fee will directly impact travelers from those countries, making it that much harder to pay for a visa.
There is another problem with these increased visa fees: American travelers are concerned that other countries will also follow suit and raise their visa fees. With many Americans struggling financially, this could make international travel that much harder for them.
These fees come at a particularly bad time for Disney. The company has seen a decline in attendance at its American theme parks, while still making a significant profit. Appealing to wealthier customers has increased Disney’s bottom line, but without many of these wealthy international travelers, who tend to stay at the parks for weeks at a time, it could hurt the company dearly.
These new visa fees go into effect starting October 1, which means that travelers coming into the country next month will be required to pay these additional fees.
What do you think about the new travel tax buried in the One Big Beautiful bill? Let us know in the comments.