UK-US market ‘will continue to grow’ Robin Searle


The UK market to the US is projected to grow this year and in 2026 despite concerns around affordability, the political climate and the potential impact of the ongoing federal shutdown. Data presented by analyst


Tourism Economics at Brand USA’s Travel Week event in London suggested the overall inbound market to the US would be 6.3% down in 2025, with a full recovery to 2024 levels not expected until 2027. However, the UK is among the


European source markets currently appearing to buck the overall trend, with official data from the US Department of Commerce showing air arrivals from the UK were up 2.1%


year on year at the end of August at 2,644,598. The positive forward outlook


belies concerns raised by some trade experts, including USAirtours chief executive Guy Novik, who estimated in June that the UK-US market could be as much as 8% down in 2026. The data was presented as Brand


USA confirmed the UK was one of nine “priority” source markets targeted for its new ‘America the Beautiful’ marketing campaign, which launched this week. The destination marketing


organisation has been forced to “recalibrate” resources, including laying off 15% of its workforce, after its budget was slashed from $100 million to $20 million under


APT predicts strong 2026 as tour sales rise outpaces cruise


Andrew McQuarrie


APT Travel Group co-owner Rob McGeary believes growth from the UK can weather potential trading headwinds, tipping the cruise and river operator to build on a “good” 2025 and healthy sales for 2026. Speaking on a visit to the


Australian firm’s UK office, McGeary said forward sales are better than at the same point last year and also higher than had been projected. He added: “We’re continuing to


see growth and 2026 is selling well for us. I don’t see that turning.” Sales in the second quarter of this


6 23 OCTOBER 2025


year were affected by Donald Trump’s tariff policies, he noted, but the first and third quarters were strong. “Overall, it’s definitely been a


good year,” he said. “We’re well up this year on last year, both out of the UK and globally out of the Australian and New Zealand markets as well.” Demand for the Douro and the


Danube has been particularly strong, while Asia bookings have started to strengthen. About 80% of sales are for river


cruise and 20% for land tours, McGeary said, but the latter’s recent growth has been nearly double that of river cruise. He described the land


We’ve been forced


to tighten our belt but there is positive dialogue and we are hopeful of a resolution


President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. However, chief executive Fred


Dixon insisted UK trade partners would see no decline in focus, with savings instead coming from the “sunsetting” of platforms including the GoUSA TV streaming channel and a retraction in activity in smaller source markets. The US Travel Association is


leading industry lobbying efforts for


funding to be restored, with Dixon saying: “We have been forced to tighten our belt but there is positive dialogue and we are hopeful there will be a resolution on the table.” The federal shutdown entered its


fourth week as Travel Weekly went to press, amid reports of unpaid air traffic controllers taking jobs as delivery and Uber drivers. If there is no end by November 1


– the start of registration for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act – it is possible the shutdown will go on until the week of Thanksgiving on November 27. A dispute over Affordable Care


Act funding sparked the shutdown and a failure to reach a deal by Thanksgiving would threaten huge disruption to travel.


Denali National Park, Alaska; right: Rob McGeary


product as having “real potential”. “We realised that’s really an


opportunity for us,” he said, citing the Canada and Alaska programme and the New Zealand range as generating particularly strong demand from the UK. “They’re both great destinations


for touring – they suit it,” he added. “When you go to New Zealand,


you don’t want to stay put in one place. Everything you want to see is about two hours away, so you keep moving around.” Asked about the economic


outlook and any possible impact on APT Travel Group, McGeary pointed


to the group’s relatively small size and suggested it could help to “insulate” it from potential falls in travel demand. “We’re very boutique and quite


specialist, so we would hope that with our service and delivery, we can grow a little bit in market share,” he said, adding that geopolitical challenges would also be successfully navigated because of “robust” travellers. He said both the trade and


consumers had responded positively to this year’s relaunch of Travelmarvel as a standalone brand, adding: “The feedback is that people are really loving it. They love the brand refresh and they’re loving the clarity.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Uwe Bergwitz


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