Travel Advisors Discuss Challenges They Face This Summer Amid Tariffs, Bans, and Border Fears

Hesitation among clients, booking cancellations and fear in conversations. Those were some of the dominant themes that emerged from a June 2025 survey of travel advisor sentiment conducted by the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), which was released last week. The survey focused on exploring the fallout from recent federal executive actions such as the Trump Administration’s travel bans and sweeping tariffs that have impacted historic U.S. allies. While a survey is not a scientific study or hard and fast travel data, Zane Kerby, ASTA President and CEO, said in a statement that survey participants expressed their opinions “plainly” and those opinions included advisors expressing that: “They are seeing hesitation in their clients, cancellations in their bookings and fear in their conversations,” Kerby said. “They are shouldering the burden of misinformation and working overtime to educate and protect the travelers who count on them most.” For some travel advisors, business is still thriving, Kerby’s statement pointed out. But for others, the picture is not so upbeat. “Their survival now demands a pivot toward new markets, safer regions, more flexible pricing and above all, clear-eyed strategy,” he said. With this backdrop in mind, TravelPulse reached out to travel advisors and travel agency owners to find out what they’re experiencing this summer and whether it aligns with the results of ASTA’s survey. Here’s what they had to say. A romance travel specialist with more than 15 years in the industry, Sully Montero is a destination wedding planner and travel advisor who books events for clients across Mexico and the Caribbean. This summer she’s experienced the fallout first-hand from the U.S. president’s policies, which have had an obvious impact on the traveler mood and psyche. That shift in sentiment has made international weddings far less appealing for Montero’s clients. Click here to continue reading insights from Mercedes Zach, travel expert at ASAP Tickets.