TAP told Lusa that it remains confident in the success of the routes it operates in the United States (USA), while the North American United Airlines reported that the performance of its services in Portugal was in line with expectations.

According to data from Tourism Economics, international tourism to the United States is expected to fall by 9.4% in 2025 due to border policies, a complete reversal of the previous expectation of 9% growth.

Still, when questioned by Lusa, TAP, which has the USA as one of its main markets, is “confident in the success of the routes it operates” to the country “and the best proof of this confidence is that it will start three new routes in the next three months, namely, Lisbon/Los Angeles, Porto/Boston and Terceira/San Francisco”.

With these new routes, TAP will reach a historic 'record' of 101 flights per week to North America (United States of America and Canada). "We have a team in the United States of America in contact with travel agencies, continually obtaining information on travel trends", the airline pointed out.

Additionally, the director of Atlantic/Hawaii Planning at United Airlines, Darren Scott, one of the main North American air carriers, told Lusa that “international demand for long-haul flights remains strong” and that the company’s services in Portugal “are performing in line with expectations”.

Lusa asked the US Embassy in Portugal whether it was receiving complaints and/or expressions of concern regarding difficulties Portuguese citizens are having when entering the US, and said it was not aware of any complaints or problems. “The rules have not changed; all potential travelers to the United States are subject to rigorous inter-institutional security screening,” responded the spokesperson for the US Embassy in Portugal, Marie Blanchard.

The data released by Tourism Economics reflects the changing approach of border authorities towards tourists with temporary visas, from lengthier questioning and smartphone searches to summary revocation of entry, detention and deportation.

According to Tourism Economics president Adam Sacks, news of several European tourists being searched and detained upon entering the US has had a significant effect on international travellers’ plans. Portugal joined the list of countries that have updated their recommendations on 28 March, with specific warnings about gender identity and the fact that a visa does not grant automatic entry.

In Portugal, North American tourists have contributed to the growth of the sector, with 5.1 million of the overnight stays by non-residents in Portugal last year being from tourists from the USA, which represents a growth of 12% compared to 2023 and around 9% of the total, which exceeded 56 million (+4.7%), according to INE data.

Spending by North American tourists rose 11.6% to 279 million euros in 2024, ranking fourth in terms of spending, surpassed only by the United Kingdom, France and Germany.