STORY: One year into Donald Trump's administration, European travelers are popping up in smaller - and often more affordable - destinations in the U.S.

Tennessee, Montana and Idaho, are in favour, while many travellers are skipping hot spots like New York and Washington D.C.

Tourism from Western Europe to the U.S. has fallen in recent months.

Between January and October, it was down around 3.5% year-over-year.

That was according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. 

Many travellers cancelled trips to the U.S. this spring as Trump ramped up a trade war and relations with Europe were tested.

But the trend has varied by destination.

Travel to Washington D.C. from Western Europe is down about 11% in the January-to-October period.

While California and New York, which still receive the largest share of Western European travelers, saw 9% and 4% declines, respectively.

Data shows average hotel rates in New York City were around $316 in October compared to $176 in Nashville.

European travelers tend to be more cost-sensitive than Americans, given the cost-of-living crises and lower salaries. 

But smaller more affordable cities are reaping the rewards.

Tennessee, home to Elvis Presley's Graceland estate, has welcomed 24% more people from Western Europe.

Air travel has played a role too.

British Airways stopped some of its U.S. routes, including one between New York's JFK airport and London's Gatwick Airport.

Its also reduced flights to Miami.

But in April, the airline will launch a service from London to St. Louis. 

German airline Lufthansa also plans to seasonally increase its service to the Midwestern city next year.

Meanwhile, data from Cirium showed flights from Europe to Nashville have almost doubled year-on-year.

Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, says better air connectivity is key.

"Not only are British Airways flights to London but now we've added Aer Lingus into Dublin and Reijavik for Iceland Air. And that's allowed us to have a lot of different ways for people to get in from all those countries. Iceland Air is a great one because they connect to about 30 different places further into Europe that allow people to get here quickly and conveniently."

There's a lot at stake for the industry.

According to the firm Tourism Economics, about 12 million Western Europeans visit the U.S. every year.

And contribute an estimated $39 billion to the economy.