Foreigners don’t want to ‘come here and give any of their money to our economy’: Moab restaurants feel the pinch of fewer visitors

Summer is wrapping up its final weeks in Moab, allowing businesses to prepare for the next wave of tourists. While data reflects tourism is down nationally and locally, some businesses are staying hopeful — while others are worried about closing come December.

“Moving into the winter, it’s the first time in a long time that I’m legitimately concerned,” said Ryan Bird, co-owner of Moab Garage Co.

In April 2025, Moab earned a gross income of $664,095 in community resort taxes, which are taxes collected from hotel stays. Last year, Moab garnered $746,613 in April. This is roughly an $83,000 deficit. The tax is available to resort cities, such as Moab, and figures are reported two months after collection. Grand County does not collect the tax.

May brought an uptick, with revenues rising $32,759 compared to last year. June and July numbers are not yet available due to the reporting lag.

For transient room tax, the city has an overall $26,173 decline compared to 2024, an opposite trend from community resort taxes. The city has grossly earned about $72,000 more compared to last year.

The inconsistencies between the two taxes are on par with what businesses have seen. Multiple restaurant owners told The Times-Independent that they also have noticed revenue and customer traffic have been unpredictable this year.

Business observations

Flight bookings from Europe to the United States were down 12% between May and August. Tourism Economics projects an overall 9.4% decline in international visitors for 2025.

Thayne Waters, co-owner of Cactus Jacks, has seen less European tourists so far this year in the restaurant.

“Traditionally, the Europeans are the ones that come in the heat of the summer,” Waters said. “We always joke around ‘oh man, they’re crazy for coming in July and August and September’ which there are … but noticeably a lower amount.”

Bird said his two businesses, Moab Garage Co. and DoughBird, have also seen a drop in international customers.

The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that arrivals from the United Kingdom are down nearly 15% over the year, which is “one of the U.S.’s most important source markets.”

German visitors have also plunged more than 28% this year, along with South Korean visitors down almost 15%.

Waters estimated a nearly 50% drop in Asian visitors at Cactus Jacks.

“Not as much of the Asians that normally come with huge tour buses full of them coming,” Waters said. “I’ve only had a couple.”

Canadian visitation to the United States is also falling in record numbers, with the International Trade Administration marking nearly a 17% decline from last year.

The U.S. Travel Association warned in February that a 10% drop in Canadian tourism could create a $2.1 billion loss in spending, jeopardizing 140,000 jobs. The International Trade Administration noted every 40 foreign international visitors support one U.S. job.

Read more: Nearly half of Utah’s foreign tourism comes from this country, and they’re not coming this year

Autem Hirschfeld, general manager for Moab Brewery, said 72 tour buses were originally scheduled to stop at the restaurant this year, but it’s now down to about 52 due to cancellations.

“A lot of them are backing out at the last minute [because] they won’t have enough [tourists] for the buses,” Hirschfeld said.

While Waters isn’t seeing a deficit in profits this year at Cactus Jacks — which he attributes to his strong local clientele — other restaurants are down in revenue compared to previous years.

Moab Garage Co. and DoughBird are on the same track, where business “seems a little bit quieter,” while Sabuku Sushi and Moab Brewery are both seeing less income this year.

Along with Cactus Jacks, however, 98 Center is also up in revenue. Meg Williams, general manager at 98 Center, said prices did slightly go up this year and revenue is up per customer, meaning people are spending more.

“I don’t know if that’s just because prices, in general [are] all over the place [and] have come up, or if people are being able to spend vacation money here,” Williams said.

On the other hand, the Moab Brewery’s Hirschfeld has noticed customers are more cognizant with how much they spend.

“I’ve noticed a lot more families are sharing a meal,” Hirschfeld said. “They’re getting one beer instead of two. They’re just not spending nearly as much money as they used to be.”

Why is visitation down?

Experts say that divisive federal policy and immigration tensions are discouraging international travel to the U.S. “This is a wake-up call for the U.S. government,” said Julia Simpson, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council. “The world’s biggest travel & tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction, not because of a lack of demand, but because of a failure to act. While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”

The Trump administration is rolling out a 12 month pilot program where people from certain countries are required to post bonds up to $15,000 if they visit the U.S., whether it’s for vacation or business. The program is intended to tighten visa restrictions and the State Department recently announced visa renewal applicants are required to submit in-person interviews — something that wasn’t required before.

On top of the bonds, international visitors are also required to pay a $250 visa integrity fee when visiting the states.

Waters attributes the slower tourism season in Moab to the Trump administration.

“People aren’t really too supportive to come here and give any of their money to our economy,” Waters said. “Or risk coming here and running into issues trying to get home.”

In March, PBS News reported the detention of European and Canadian travelers is creating fear to travel to America. A German man who was vacationing in the U.S. was sent to an immigration detention center for 16 days before he was allowed to fly back home.

BBC reported that this prompted many European countries to issue travel warnings to the U.S.

“I think it would be silly to assume that there’s not some sort of association with changes that happen at a high level,” Bird said.

Simpson warns that without urgent action from the federal government to restore international traveler confidence, it could take several years for the U.S. to return to pre-pandemic levels of international visitor spending.

Bird and Hirschfeld agree that Moab needs tourism, because without it, people will either lose their jobs or people will be forced to start working fewer hours — which Hirschfeld is already having to send workers home earlier than anticipated.

“When we’re not steady and I have to send people home, it’s really hard,” Hirschfeld said. “Living in a tourism town and managing a restaurant, but this is also people’s livelihood at the same time. It is getting really hard not knowing what’s next.”

Note to readers • This story was first published by The Times-Independent. Lizzie Ramirez is a Report for America corps member covering local government and tourism in Grand County for The Times-Independent. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.