Donald Trump’s US election win has ‘Made America Unpopular Again’ with British stag parties

The number of booked trips to the States has dropped dramatically this year, leading the UK’s top stag and hen party organiser Last Night of Freedom to pull its trips to Las Vegas.

Bookings began to dry up in the spring, at the same time it became clear that incumbent Democrat Joe Biden stood little chance of securing a second term and interest in Las Vegas breaks continued on a downward spiral as Trump surged in the polls ahead of his eventual November win.

“Donald’s first term led to what was known as the ‘Trump slump’, which saw international visitor numbers to the US dip, only to bounce back following him leaving office,” said Matt Mavir, managing director at Last Night of Freedom.

“I don’t know how much that is down to disagreeing with the new President’s politics, or if it reflects the uncertainty around what Trump’s second term of office might look like.

“He has pledged to be ‘America First’ and it’s impossible to know what that really means and how it will affect tourism.

“Inflation and low interest rates meant the US was already becoming an expensive place to visit, but since Trump’s election win we’ve seen early research which suggests online searches for US flights fell by up to 17%.

“Unfortunately, interest in a Las Vegas stag do has fallen even faster.”

The anything-goes atmosphere associated with Vegas and its reputation for round-the-clock gambling, strip clubs and wild desert activities had formerly made it a firm favourite amongst British stags.

And although in recent years many stags have gravitated more towards Europe’s own ‘Sin City’ Benidorm, while others have decided to party at home in the UK, the drop in US bookings has been more drastic in the last six months of 2024.

“I think a lot of Brits saw the movie The Hangover and wanted to sample that crazy, 24-hour party city for themselves – the pace of Las Vegas is incredible and it’s easy to lose an entire night without even realising it’s got dark,” continued Matt, whose Tyneside based company has organised more than 50,000 stag and hen parties over the past 25 years.

“Over the years, bookings have remained steady but the drop in the past few months has been so drastic – especially since Trump won the election - that we’re not going to be offering Vegas as an option anymore.”