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Credit: Inside the MagicThe Trump Administration has announced two policies slated to impact travel to the United States in 2026, further battering an already reeling industry. International travel to the United States is down three percent this year compared to last year; however, the problem has worsened significantly as the year has progressed. As a result of this decline, the travel industry is expected to lose $12-$19 billion this year.
The Trump Administration has proposed two new policies that would dramatically impact international travelers, a large portion of whom are headed to Central Florida for the Walt Disney World Resort and the Universal Orlando Resort.
Under one proposed policy, travelers would be required to list all social media sites they’ve used in the past five years if they are visiting the United States for less than 90 days. This includes tourists from visa-waiver countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.
The second hit coming for the travel industry comes from Trump’s “One Big Beaufiful Bill” that was signed into law this summer. 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.
International tourists accounted for approximately 10 percent of Orlando’s 75 million visitors. However, despite representing a small portion of visitors, international travelers tend to stay longer and spend more money while in Central Florida.
According to numbers from Tourism Economics, international travel to Orlando could drop five percent in 2025, thanks in part to a massive decline in Canadian travel this year. In the second quarter of 2025, travel from Canada to Central Florida was down 20 percent.
The United States Travel Association warned that this policy could have a “chilling effect” on tourism, saying, “If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker.
Congressman Darren Soto, who represents Kissimmee and other areas around Disney World, told the Tampa Bay Times that this policy won’t make America any safer; instead, it would “could thoudsands of Central Florida jobs at a time when local families are already struggling.”
Time will tell what the impact of these new proposals will have on the travel industry in Central Florida, but for now, we know that fewer international travelers are coming to the area and spending their money there.
What do you think of these proposed measures for international travelers coming to Central Florida? Let us know in the comments.