Aspen, Snowmass tourism experts talk ‘Trump Slump’

Tourism has reportedly fallen to Las Vegas in the wake of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, a trend local experts worry could extend to their own markets.

“Certainly there’s concern,” Snowmass Tourism Director Julia Theisen said of the potential for a lack of local tourism, adding, “If people aren’t going to Vegas, it’s a pretty good indicator that things are rough.”

The phenomenon, coined the “Trump Slump,” has already hit international tourism markets. The Guardian reported visitation to Las Vegas dropped by 11.3% in June 2025 compared to the same time the year prior. Canadian airline Flair Airlines reported a 55% drop in passengers to Nevada from 2024 to 2025, showing a downward trend from Nevada’s largest foreign market. 

“The ‘Trump Slump’ is really considered part of why, as a benchmark, Las Vegas and other destinations are struggling,” Theisen said. 

Associated Press News reported this week that Las Vegas’ dip in tourism parallels national trends, which saw 9.4% lower international tourism this year than originally predicted by Tourism Economics, a travel forecasting company.

This comes as the Trump administration set a daily quota in May for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest 3,000 people per day.

Theisen said international travelers might be dissuaded from visiting the United States due to the current crackdown.

“I don’t know how welcoming that feels,” she said. 

So far this summer in Snowmass, July saw normal hotel occupancy, August saw slightly higher occupancy, but September is looking “soft,” with fewer bookings compared to historic occupancy, according to Theisen. But the area usually sees more short-term bookings at the end of summer and into the fall, so actual occupancy numbers could remain consistent, she added. 

Eliza Voss, vice president of Destination Marketing at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, saw similar trends in Aspen, adding that occupancy spiked around Up in the Sky Festival. 

But for overall trends, Voss said there’s been uncertainty in the marketplace given the political climate.  She said travel as a whole has decreased, while Aspen tourism has remained consistent compared to previous years or been slightly up.

“We see that luxury travelers continue to travel,” she said.

Travel this winter, however, could be a different story. 

Though Theisen anticipates domestic travel to be less impacted than international travel, she said overseas visitors constitute a large portion of their tourism base once the snow comes.

“I think the bigger hit will be international, which is really important to Snowmass, particularly in the winter — and Aspen,” she said. “Domestically, it’s not going to be so much the politics as it will be how people feel about the economy and how is consumer confidence.”

She added that nationally, tourism will likely suffer under the Trump administration.

“I think that’s a fair statement,” she said.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.