While discussing new "visa integrity fee" about to be imposed on travelers to the US, the panel on Fox's Outnumbered conveniently forgot to mention the other reason for the collapse of the tourism industry.
As Reuters reported New $250 visa fee risks deepening US travel slump:
A new $250 "visa integrity fee" imposed on travelers to the United States risks piling more pressure on the struggling travel industry, as overseas arrivals continue to fall due to President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration and hostility to many foreign countries.
Overseas travel to the U.S. fell 3.1% year-on-year in July to 19.2 million visitors, according to U.S. government data. It was the fifth month of decline this year, defying expectations that 2025 would see annual inbound visitors finally surpass the pre-pandemic level of 79.4 million.
The new visa fee, set to go into effect on October 1, adds an additional hurdle for travelers from non-visa waiver countries like Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China. The extra charge raises the total visa cost to $442, one of the highest visitor fees in the world, according to the U.S. Travel Association, a membership organization.
"Any friction we add to the traveler experience is going to cut travel volumes by some amount," said Gabe Rizzi, President of Altour, a global travel management company. "As the summer ends this will become a more pressing issue, and we'll have to factor the fees into travel budgets and documentation."
International visitor spending in the U.S. is projected to fall below $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The visa fee reinforces a bleak perception of the U.S. under Trump, whose immigration policies, cuts to foreign aid and sweeping tariffs have eroded America's appeal as a destination - even with major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on the horizon.
The yappers on Fox acknowledged the decline in tourism, and concerns from the business community about the new fines about to be imposed, but they completely ignored the fact that the tourism industry was already collapsing thanks to Trump: US Tourism Industry Faces Historic Collapse as ICE Detentions Deter Foreign Visitors:
America stands alone in what industry experts are calling an unprecedented tourism crisis. As international travelers cancel trips and reroute vacations away from the United States, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) projects the U.S. will lose a staggering $12.5 billion in visitor spending this year.
The culprit? A sweeping campaign of detentions, interrogations, and deportations of foreign visitors by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Trump’s administration.
“This is a wake-up call for the U.S. government,” said Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO. “The world’s biggest Travel & Tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction, not because of a lack of demand, but because of a failure to act.” [...]
While President Trump dismissed the tourist decline as “not a big deal” and claimed “we treat our tourists great,” economic analysts paint a different picture. The tourism collapse represents just one part of what experts project could be trillions in economic damage over the next decade.
More on that from Newsweek:
A sharp decline in foreign travel to the United States this year is being blamed on President Donald Trump's immigration policies, trade rhetoric and renewed visa restrictions, with tourism analysts warning the slump may extend beyond summer.
From border towns like Buffalo to major tourist draws such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, international visitor numbers have dropped since Trump returned to office in January. Many in the travel industry say the White House's hardline stance on immigration, tariffs and foreign policy is discouraging tourists.
The U.S. government recorded 3 million fewer overseas visitors in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier. The decline is steepest among Canadians, traditionally the top source of international visitors. Statistics Canada reports a 37 percent drop in car trips and 26 percent drop in air travel by Canadians returning from the U.S. in July.
I was surprised to see the topic come up on Fox at all. You'll never see them admit the economic damage being done by Trump to the country though.
Here's the back and forth from the Trump apologists on Fox this Monday where the word ICE was never mentioned:
CASONE: Well, a visa integrity fee is set to take effect next month as part of President Trump's one big beautiful bill. Some analysts say the policy could reshape international travel patterns.
The $250 fee will apply to all visitors who need non-immigrant visas. Tourists from countries not in the visa waiver program like Mexico, China, and Brazil are set to face only $444 in entry fees.
But this idea isn't limited to just the US. Several countries worldwide have already added entry fees for foreign visitors, including the UK, and it's just because as we look at all of these big events that are coming up next year, a lot of the travel associations are now putting out numbers and saying that we're going to see, we are seeing fewer visitors this summer, in particular foreign visitors coming to the US. Those numbers are down.
When you've got the Olympics coming and everything else, you need those fans to come in. Company CEOs are saying this needs to be handled very carefully.
CAMPAGNO: I agree, but I think this joins frankly, a pattern that, as you said, has already been deployed by countries forever. And when you look at a country like Bhutan, for example, where they charge $100 a night and they have their policy is high quality, low volume, and their point is, you know, we only want people who are here that will take it seriously and will treat us with respect.
You contrast that with Italy that now is banning selfies in certain. because they're so overridden. They're banning flip flops because they're so horrified at American behavior.
So I frankly think $250 isn't that much to ask. This is an incredible country with so much to offer for tourism, all the national park systems and everything. So for me, I feel like heck, I'd charge more.
CASONE: Yeah, that's interesting that you say that. Yeah, $13 but you know, get to that point about, you know, obviously you do want to have a safe and secure border.
At the same time, Alicia, when you've got these major events coming in and we're already seeing that economic hit to the United States, that's where you're going to get some pushback now because that means, that's hotel companies, that's airlines, that's tour companies, that is businesses in some towns and areas of the of the country that really depend on foreign visitors, and they are starting to kind of come out and say, we're a little bit nervous about our numbers this year.
ACUNA: Yeah, exactly. 3.1% decline in overseas visitors to the United States July in comparison to last year July. That is the big question here.
What does this mean for the tourism industry? How does this add up in terms of dollars?
This is a difficult balancing act, I think, for the Trump administration right now because they inherited a visa system that had been heavily abused. So they're trying to level that out and we talk about FIFA World Cup. We talk about the Olympics, America 250, lots of events that people from around the world will want to attend, obviously.
At the same time we don't want people getting on planes who haven't been vetted. Dangers could also be coming to these events as well. So the administration, I understand, is doing its best to try to balance both of these needs.
They acknowledge what business needs and the wants that they have in keeping their bottom line healthy. However, they also want to keep the American people safe.
