Nordic tourism to the USA fell in 2025, with travel agencies and industry groups across the region reporting a clear drop in bookings and packages — a shift they link to higher costs, tougher entry friction, and a political climate that feels less welcoming.
Finland’s USA packages fell by 25% in 2025
Finland offers one of the clearest datapoints: leisure flight packages to the USA were down about 25% in 2025, according to the Association of Finnish Travel Industry (Smal). Travellers and operators cited a mix of practical and reputational factors — from high prices on the ground to the sense that crossing the border can involve long queues and more uncertainty than in previous years.
Denmark’s USA trips have dropped sharply at major agencies
In Denmark, the decline looks even steeper in parts of the retail travel market. A mid-2025 report from STANDBY.dk said FDM Travel — described as Denmark’s largest USA-focused travel agency — saw USA sales down by more than 50%. Separate reporting from regional Danish media found several agencies describing 50–60% fewer USA trips sold compared with earlier periods, and a halving of sales at a large national chain.
Sweden’s bookings to the USA fell by about 30% early in 2025
Swedish agencies also reported a marked pullback. Ticket, one of the best-known Swedish travel agencies, said USA trips were down by around 30% from the turn of the year to early March 2025, with industry representatives pointing to cancellations as well as fewer new bookings. The pattern fits a broader shift in consumer sentiment: more Swedes have been choosing European destinations over long-haul travel, particularly when the perceived “hassle factor” rises.
Norway saw a smaller, but still visible, drop in USA bookings
Norway’s picture is more mixed. Dagens Næringsliv reported in mid-2025 that bookings to the USA were down 13%, even as overall holiday bookings were rising. That suggests the USA was losing share rather than disappearing from the map: for Norwegian travellers, cost sensitivity and route alternatives (southern Europe, Canada, parts of Asia) appear to have mattered as much as politics.
Iceland: interest in USA travel has cooled, surveys suggest
Comparable booking figures for Iceland are harder to standardise across operators, but a national survey reported by Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV found more than 60% of respondents said their interest in travelling to the USA had decreased since the latest political shift in Washington. It is not a direct measure of departures, but it signals that the same dynamics shaping the Nordic market are present in Icelandic public sentiment.
Why the USA is losing Nordic visitors
Across the Nordic countries, three drivers recur.
Costs. Travellers and agencies point to high prices in the USA — accommodation, transport, and everyday expenses — making the destination less competitive against Europe or parts of Asia.
Entry friction. For many Nordic travellers, the Visa Waiver Programme has been a key advantage. But new costs have been added: the ESTA fee rose from about €18 to about €34 (from $21 to $40) from 30 September 2025. A higher administrative fee is small in absolute terms, but it amplifies the sense that the trip comes with more formalities.
Politics and social climate. Operators describe a broader “tone effect”: public debates about immigration, polarisation, and the relationship between the USA and Europe can influence how welcome travellers expect to feel. In Finland, Smal’s director also pointed to negative news coverage and travellers’ concerns about lengthy border waits.
A transatlantic barometer for Nordic–USA relations
Tourism is not diplomacy, but it is often a sensitive indicator of trust and perceived openness. For Nordic economies with strong cultural and business links to the USA, a sustained decline in leisure trips can have second-order effects: fewer direct flights justified by demand, a smaller “people-to-people” layer in transatlantic ties, and more Nordic travel spending staying within Europe.
The trend is not necessarily permanent. Air fares can soften, exchange rates can shift, and demand can rebound around major events. But for now, Nordic tourism to the USA looks like a market where practical costs and political perceptions are reinforcing each other — and where the USA is no longer the default long-haul choice it once was for many Nordic travellers.
