In a poignant decision, a family from the United Kingdom has chosen to cancel their much-anticipated $16,000 vacation to Disney World in Florida. The Cowley family, who reside in London, cited the distress caused to their children by recent events in the United States as the primary reason for their decision.

Michelle Cowley, a communications expert, along with her husband, devoted nearly two years to meticulously planning this dream holiday for their young ones, aged seven and eleven. Their excitement was centered around the magical experience awaiting them at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

However, this dream was shattered following President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies, which have stirred significant controversy. The family was particularly affected by the shootings involving two anti-ICE protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. This incident left a profound impact on their children, prompting a reassessment of their travel plans.

In an interview with the New York Times, Cowley expressed additional concerns regarding President Trump’s conduct since his return to office. His provocative actions, such as the proposed annexation of Greenland and the controversial remarks about British military efforts in Afghanistan, further solidified their decision to stay away from the U.S. at this time.

Reflecting on these developments, Cowley remarked, “We have decided that it really is not the place we want to be at the moment,” indicating a deep-seated unease with the current U.S. climate.

‘We have decided that it really is not the place we want to be at the moment,’ she said. 

The shootings in Minneapolis rocked the US and led to weeks of protests across the nation, beginning with Good being shot dead in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7. 

The incident was followed by the shooting of Pretti on January 24, as footage of both shootings circulated widely across social media. 

The family is not alone in avoiding the United States due to controversy, with a new study from the World Travel and Tourism Council finding that the US was the only major global destination to see a decline in foreign visitors last year. 

The downward trend has continued this year, with January seeing a 4.8 per cent decline in tourism compared to January 2025, which accounted for a loss around 11 million international visitors over the year, The Times reported. 

A British family say they cancelled a $16,000 Disney World vacation to Florida because their children were so upset by the shootings of anti-ICE protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti

The shooting of Pretti (pictured) and Good earlier this year led London communications specialist Michelle Crowley to cancel her vacation to the US, saying it made her family believe the US is ‘not the place we want to be at the moment’

Ahead of the US’s hosting of the World Cup this summer, controversy surrounding Trump’s immigration crackdown and violence from immigration authorities have sparked calls for a boycott.  

Trump’s controversial moves since retaking office have also been blamed on a decline in tourism from Canada, which is typically the second-largest source of tourism to the US, behind Mexico. 

In January, tourism from Canada dropped by a staggering 28 per cent compared to the same time last year. 

The steep drop has been cited by tourism experts as particularly impacting Las Vegas, which has been losing hundreds of thousands of visitors per month since Trump retook the White House. 

Trump’s made Canada one of his favorite targets early in his tenure, and has frequently attacked Canadian officials, made increased tariff demands and has threatened to make the nation the US’s 51st state. 

As the downward trend was beginning to snowball last February, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he was hearing from many angry Canadians about the president.

‘There’s an awful lot of the anecdotal conversation around Canadians being angry and upset about tariffs and talk around annexing the country,’ he said.

‘We’ve seen consumer confidence numbers drop pretty significantly over the past couple of months.’

Cowley said she planned the perfect getaway to the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando – before her family’s hopes were dashed when their children were upset to see the shootings of anti-ICE protesters

President Donald Trump’s controversial moves since retaking the White House, including his hardline immigration crackdown and threats to annex Greenland and Canada, have been blamed by some for a dip in US tourism 

Trump’s antagonism toward Canada has been blamed for fueling a tourism decline to Las Vegas, which has seen a dramatic drop in visitors in the last year 

In the latest data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, other key US tourism sources including Germany and France also saw steep declines. 

Erik Hansen, a senior vice-president at the U.S. Travel Association, told the New York Times: ‘When 11 million international visitors aren’t showing up, the result is billions of dollars in economic losses to the travel industry.’ 

Experts say the decline in tourism to the US has also been attributed to policies the Trump administration has brought in to make it significantly harder for some groups to enter the US. 

The White House has introduced visa bans to more than a dozen nations, and increased fees to those who overstay their visas. 

Social media scans by immigration authorities have also increased, and some nations may soon be required to provide up to five years of social media history to enter the US. 

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that could result in a loss of up to $15.7billion in tourism spending.