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.

Travel advisor working with clients. (Photo Credit: Svitlana/Adobe)

Destination weddings postponed

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.

¡°Several of my recent clients started the planning process feeling excited about a destination wedding, not just for the experience, but because it¡¯s one of the few ways to actually save money these days, given the historic high costs of weddings in the U.S.,¡± explained Montero, founder of Teach Travel Discover.

¡°But once they started talking to family and friends, the mood changed. Guests voiced concerns over tariffs, shifting foreign relations, and a general mistrust tied to perceptions of Americans abroad,¡± Montero continued. ¡°One of my couples originally expected over 50 guests ¡ª they ended up with barely 20. Another decided to postpone altogether because nearly all of their guests expressed unease around potential travel bans or increased anti-American sentiment.¡±

That¡¯s not the only way Trump 2.0 is impacting Montero¡¯s business. The longtime travel advisor has had to change the way she plans trips and talks about destination weddings with clients. These days, she spends far more time giving couples and their guests ¡°a realistic view of how these weddings actually play out.¡±

¡°Resorts and tourism boards depend on American weddings and work hard to make sure couples feel safe, supported, and celebrated, no matter what¡¯s in the news,¡± Montero explained. ¡°The local experience almost never lines up with the political noise people worry about.¡±

Montero says she is very direct in explaining to clients that weddings throughout Mexico and the Caribbean region have continued to take place without any hiccups for travelers.

¡°I break down what¡¯s real versus what¡¯s just fear from the headlines,¡± she says. ¡°This is the hardest part of the job."

Montero says the shift in her approach to handling client conversations has been critical to maintaining business. Her new approach also includes actively steering couples toward destinations that roll out the red carpet for U.S. weddings, including places that provide extra perks and have a proven, positive track record.

Felix Brambilla, CEO of Overseas Network, a luxury travel company that works with travel agents worldwide to design one-of-a-kind experiences, offers a similar perspective surrounding the traveler mood and attitude amid the political landscape of the Trump era.

"It¡¯s a combination of the Trump Administration¡¯s geopolitical signaling and the resulting perception shifts among global travelers," says Brambila. "Tariffs and travel bans are creating uncertainty not just among inbound travelers, but also among U.S. citizens considering travel abroad."

"The perception that America is becoming a less welcoming destination has very real consequences. We're seeing softening interest from key international markets where we¡¯ve historically had strong inbound demand,"?Brambilla adds.

The Trump Administration's travel bans¡ªboth proposed and actual¡ªare among the most unsettling policy developments for would-be travelers, says Brambila.

"Even when these restrictions don¡¯t directly affect a traveler, they contribute to a broader sense of instability and unpredictability," he explains. "That uncertainty has a ripple effect: people are less willing to commit to international travel when they fear disruptions or sudden changes."

Increased demand for flexibility and customer service

Montero and?Brambila's experiences are hardly isolated. Mercedes Zach, a travel agent at ASAP Tickets says the ASTA survey responses resonate with what her agency has been observing in recent months, as well. Like others, Zach says there¡¯s been ¡°a noticeable shift in traveler sentiment.¡±

¡°Clients are now more than ever before concerned about potential travel restrictions and potential delays or cancellations,¡± says Zach. ¡°The most impactful changes are felt in visa processing delays and heightened entry requirements, which may discourage spontaneous family visits abroad.¡±

What's becoming clearer than ever, is that in 2025, travelers want to be in control as much as possible, adds Zach.

¡°I get that ¨C in a world full of changes, it is natural to want to be safe and secure as much as possible, given that traveling already involves quite a bit of stress,¡± she says.

In particular, Zach says she has noticed a few distinct developments for summer 2025, among them more demand among travelers for flexible booking policies, as well as increased interest in booking with well-known, reliable travel providers.

The increased focus on flexibility, Zach says, is likely due to the growing number of challenges and unforeseen circumstances that travelers are facing - whether it¡¯s the frequency of natural disasters as climate change worsens or the political challenges impacting the travel industry. These factors are driving a growing number of travelers to seek booking policies that offer an easy out. Specifically, Zach has witnessed increased demand for "cancel for any reason" trip protection ¨C particularly in 2025.

A growing number of consumers this summer are also seeking more reliable customer service. They especially want ¡°trustable service providers that offer 24/7 live, human support¡± as travel disruptions become more commonplace, says Zach.

Corporate travel slowdown

The new U.S. presidential policies have also moderated demand in the corporate travel world this summer, says Gabe Rizzi, president of ALTOUR, a premium corporate travel solutions provider.

¡°Tariffs for sure have impacted corporate travel volumes,¡± begins Rizzi. ¡°Every tariff sound byte- Brazil, Canada, the EU - has led to declines in certain verticals we service. Overall our portfolio is essentially flat year-over-year on an aggregate basis, but in manufacturing and government contractors we¡¯re seeing in some cases double-digit declines versus the prior year.¡±

?¡°¡®[President Trump's so-named] Liberation Day¡¯ had the biggest overall impact and then more recently the announcements for Brazil, Mexico and Canada have ushered in new uncertainties that are causing some clients to pause on T&E due to the trade uncertainty,¡± adds Rizzi.

U.S. tariff policies, however, are only a portion of the newfound concerns among would-be corporate travelers.

In Rizzi's opinion, the policy having the most significant impact on corporate travelers is the Trump Administration¡¯s aggressive approach to retaining international visitors at U.S. entry points and sometimes holding them for weeks.

¡°More aggressive controls on borders and ultimately immigration have created fears that entry will be denied, which is deterring inbound international corporate travelers,¡± continues Rizzi. ¡°We don¡¯t believe this will last but in the short term the mere uncertainty of enforcement or targeting is creating tension that manifests in lower travel volumes.¡±

Like others who spoke with TravelPulse, Rizzi and his colleagues are pivoting to cope with a climate of fear and uncertainty. In Rizzi¡¯s case, that has included ¡°working hard to advise on the positive impacts of travel to grow markets and business.¡±?

¡°Our mission is clear, at ALTOUR we reduce the complexities of connecting people so they represent their brands in the most impactful way despite this macroeconomic uncertainty,¡± says Rizzi.?

That has included actively communicating that corporate travel programs have a clear return-on-investment. It has also required taking the time to explain how ALTOUR can proactively help manage traveler friction throughout the journey with the company's various AI-enabled services.?

For instance, ALTOUR offers a program called AI Predict, which provides proactive flight disruption management. The company also offers AI Shield, a travel risk management application powered by advanced artificial intelligence and expert human analysis. AI Shield was created to keep travelers safe and informed by delivering real-time risk alerts and actionable intelligence.

As fraught as the current travel landscape may be, Rizzi remains upbeat about the future and predicts demand will bounce back and stabilize in the corporate world.?

¡°We¡¯re optimistic though the back half of the year will see some normalcy as companies realize sitting on the sidelines is bad for business long term,¡± he says.

Travel is still booming for some

As the ASTA survey acknowledged, for more than a few travel advisors and agencies, summer 2025 has not brought about any change in business demand or consumer sentiment.

That's the case for Andrew Satkowiak, of The Luxury Travel Agency, a company that has offices in Nashville, Tennessee and Toronto, Ontario and clients in about 30 countries.

Satkowiak says his agency has not experienced any drop in business. Nor has it experienced the wave of delays or cancellations from clients that other advisors say they're experiencing.

¡°I'm not sure if its because we have luxury clients who are willing to accept the risk or if the survey numbers are skewed a bit,¡± says Satkowiak.

Meanwhile, Satkowiak says his biggest fear this summer is that other consumers will read about a developing cancellation postponement trend in the travel industry and follow suit, just because others are cancelling.

¡°Sometimes things like this spread due to what people hear or read, and not really based on their own personal circumstances,¡± he says.

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