While the cameras chased a garland snub, Tuvalu told the world what COP31 must deliver
If you only followed mainstream coverage of the Pre-COP Leaders' visit to Tuvalu, you could be forgiven for thinking the big issue was headwear.
It’s official: not even the World Cup can make Australians travel to the United States anywhere close to the degree they did before Trump came to power. As I have noted before, when a World Cup is held in a country, the number of Australians travelling there usually spikes. For the USA, the opposite occurred.
Mon 14 Sep 2026 09.40 AEST
A Jetstar plane is seen after taking off at Melbourne Domestic and International Airport in Melbourne. Photo: AAP Image/James Ross
If you only followed mainstream coverage of the Pre-COP Leaders' visit to Tuvalu, you could be forgiven for thinking the big issue was headwear.
There’s tension in the air at this pre-COP. Tension between Pacific Island states and Australia. Tension over the world leaders who have not turned up. Tension over Australia’s continued expansion of coal and gas, even as it asks to be applauded for its climate leadership. And tension over how to call out a powerful partner whose aid and cooperation you still need.
It’s official: not even the World Cup can make Australians travel to the United States anywhere close to the degree they did before Trump came to power.
As I have noted previously, usually when a World Cup is held in a country, the number of Australians travelling there spikes. For the USA, the opposite occurred.
Fewer Australians travelled to the USA in July this year than in July last year. By contrast, there was a 12% spike in the number of Australians travelling to Canada (which co-hosted games featuring Australia in the World Cup along with the USA):
It is part of the ongoing falling-out of love with the USA among Australians since Trump came to power.
Over the past 12 months, the number of Australians travelling to the USA has fallen by nearly 9% compared to the year to June 2025, despite a 3.6% increase in overall travel by Australians.
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Were this just about the popularity of geographical destination, you would expect to see a similar decline in travel to Canada. But as with the World Cup, the opposite is true:
Compared to 2024, 18% more Australians are now choosing to travel to Canada and the trajectory is almost a mirror image of that with the USA.
This very much confirms the polling by The Australia Institute last November which found more Australians – especially women – would feel unsafe travelling to the USA than would feel safe:
Sometimes polling does not reflect reality, but it is now abundantly clear that not even hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world is enough to entice Australians to travel to the USA like they did before Trump and his ICE goons came into force.
