Why foreign tourists are staying away from the US

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, international arrivals to the US fell by 6 percent last year.

• US sees sharp decline in international tourist arrivals
• Border scrutiny and visa fees deter foreign visitors
• Tourism slump impacts airlines, hotels, and theme parks

Did our AI summary help?

The United States is in the middle of a tourism slump that sets it apart from the rest of the world. While international travel rebounded strongly across Europe, Asia and the Middle East last year, the US was the only major destination to record an outright decline in foreign visitors. The shortfall was not marginal. Around 11 million expected international trips simply did not happen.

That gap is now showing up in airline schedules, hotel bookings and theme park earnings, with little sign of a quick recovery, the New York Times reported.

The numbers behind the decline

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, international arrivals to the US fell by 6 percent last year. January data suggests the slide is continuing, with inbound travel down another 4.8 percent compared with the same month in 2025.

Canada, usually the second-largest source of visitors after Mexico, has been hit hardest. Canadian arrivals dropped 28 percent year-on-year in January. Germany and France also recorded sharp falls, while Britain, the largest long-haul market, showed growth of just 0.5 percent, barely keeping pace with inflation.

For the travel industry, the absence of those visitors translates into billions of dollars in lost spending on flights, hotels, food and entertainment.

Border anxiety reshaping travel decisions

Interviews with travellers and tour operators point to a common theme: fear of unpredictable treatment at the US border.

Under the Trump administration, scrutiny of visitors has intensified. Travelers from more than a dozen countries face outright bans. Others must pay a new USD 250 visa integrity fee on nonimmigrant tourist and business visas. Border agents are conducting more frequent searches of phones and laptops, with some visitors detained or denied entry after social media reviews.

In some cases, travellers who only need electronic authorization to enter the US may soon be required to submit up to five years of social media history. Industry estimates suggest that step alone could wipe out as much as USD 15.7 billion in visitor spending.

For many potential tourists, the risk is not ideological but financial. A single denial at the airport can mean losing thousands of dollars in prepaid travel costs.

Politics and perception matter

The decline is not only about paperwork. The tone of US politics has also become a deterrent.

Comments by President Donald Trump on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to foreign policy have fed a perception that the country is less welcoming. Highly publicized incidents involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have amplified that image abroad, particularly in Europe and Canada.

Travel advisers say the effect is cumulative. Even travellers who are unlikely to face visa problems describe a sense of unease about entering a country where rules seem to shift without warning.

Florida as a warning sign

Nowhere is the impact clearer than Florida, a bellwether for international tourism. Canadian visitors, who typically fill hotels and rental homes during the winter, fell nearly 15 percent last year. Airlines have responded by cutting capacity. Air Transat has suspended Florida flights for the summer, and WestJet has reduced service to destinations like Orlando.

At the same time, The Walt Disney Company has warned investors about “international visitation headwinds” at its US theme parks. Travel planners report that many Canadian and European families are choosing Disney parks in Paris or Tokyo instead of Florida.

Big events may not be enough

The US is set to host the FIFA World Cup, celebrate its 250th anniversary and mark the Route 66 centennial. Tourism officials see 2026 as a chance to reset the narrative. Forecasts from Oxford Economics predict modest growth this year, but not enough to make up for losses since the start of Trump’s second term.

Some in the global soccer community have even called for boycotts of the World Cup in response to immigration enforcement practices, undercutting hopes of a guaranteed surge.

A slower, uncertain recovery

Travel companies are adjusting. British tour operators that once focused heavily on the US are shifting marketing budgets toward Asia, South America and the Middle East. Airlines are cautious about restoring routes until demand stabilizes.

Price cuts and currency shifts may eventually lure travellers back, but industry veterans say something more fundamental has changed. For decades, the US benefited from an image of openness and ease of entry. That advantage has eroded.

Until travellers feel confident that a holiday will not turn into a stressful encounter at the border, America’s tourism recovery is likely to lag behind the rest of the world.