International tourism to the United States declined in 2025, even as global travel activity and spending increased worldwide. According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the United States recorded a 6% drop in foreign visitors last year, despite global tourism spending rising by more than 6%. The decline illustrates a divergence between U.S. inbound travel and broader worldwide tourism trends.
Globally, more than 1.5 billion tourists spent roughly 11.7 trillion dollars on travel in 2025, and tourism accounted for over 10% of global GDP, yet the U.S. figures ran counter to this overall growth. Reuters reporting shows that international arrivals and spending in the U.S. fell while major tourism markets such as France and Spain received substantially more visitors, factors that contributed to a continued downturn for American destinations that historically drew large numbers of foreign travelers.
Per Business Insider, industry sources tracking monthly travel data noted that visits to the U.S. by foreign travelers declined for several consecutive months toward the end of 2025, with 10 of the top 20 overseas outbound markets generating fewer visits than the prior year. Data from the U.S. government’s travel statistics also showed continued underperformance in inbound international travel, with several key regions registering lower visit numbers year over year.
Where International Tourists Are Going Instead
While the United States saw a decline in foreign arrivals, several international destinations reported record or robust growth in tourist numbers during the same period. Reuters and industry data show that France welcomed approximately 105 million visitors in 2025, and Spain received more than 96 million international tourists, figures that outpaced the roughly 68 million foreign visitors to the U.S. last year. These numbers indicate that many international travelers are currently choosing European destinations over the U.S. for their vacations.
In Asia, countries such as Japan also reported strong increases in international arrivals. Global tourism spending growth, fueled by record visitation in Europe and Asia, contrasted with the U.S.’s decline in foreign tourist spending, which fell by an estimated seven percent as visitor numbers from Canada, Mexico, and several European markets contracted.
Additional travel data from U.S. agencies revealed continuing weakness in inbound travel from key markets. Visits from countries including Germany, India, and South Korea decreased in 2025, and travel from Canada, both by air and by land, also registered declines compared with the prior year. These patterns emerged even as domestic tourism within the United States remained steady.
Immigration And Entry Policies Cited As Key Factors
Travel industry groups and international reporting identify immigration and entry policies as a factor influencing the U.S. tourism decline. Reuters, citing the World Travel and Tourism Council, linked the downturn in foreign visitor arrivals to higher visa costs, longer processing times, and concerns about U.S. border enforcement and immigration policy, which have made travel to the United States less attractive to some international travelers.
Another Reuters report noted that new visa-related fees and administrative requirements increased the cost and uncertainty of traveling to the U.S., particularly for visitors from countries not included in the Visa Waiver Program. Data from the U.S. Travel Association show year-over-year declines in inbound travel from Western Europe and Asia during several months of 2025, reinforcing industry concerns that entry barriers and policy perception are shaping travel decisions.
What’s At Stake For The U.S. Travel Economy
The decline in inbound tourism carries consequences that extend well beyond visitor counts. According to the U.S. Travel Association, international visitors account for a disproportionate share of tourism spending in the United States, with a higher average spend per trip than domestic travelers, particularly on lodging, long-haul air travel, dining, and retail.
Industry forecasts from Tourism Economics indicate that sustained weakness in inbound travel is likely to affect destination economies unevenly. In its international travel outlooks, Tourism Economics warned that destinations dependent on long-haul airlift and overseas visitors are typically the first to feel downturns in foreign demand, particularly gateway cities and convention-driven markets.
PBS News reported that Las Vegas tourism experienced a slump, with fewer visitors than in prior years, and some tourism representatives cited policies and economic factors as factors in the context. Looking ahead, economists cited by Tourism Economics and the U.S. Travel Association have warned that prolonged weakness in inbound international travel could delay a full recovery in visitor spending and widen the U.S. travel trade deficit if outbound travel by Americans continues to exceed inbound arrivals.
The U.S. Travel Association has repeatedly flagged the trade deficit as a structural concern tied to declining international visitation and higher overseas travel by U.S. residents. Both Reuters and WTTC have noted that when international travelers face higher costs, longer waits, or greater uncertainty at U.S. borders, they are more likely to choose alternative destinations, particularly as global tourism competition intensifies.
