International tourists to the U.S. fell 5.5% last year, a worrying sign ahead of the World Cup

Global travel last year added a record $11.6 trillion to the economy, according to a report released this week by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), an industry body. Tourism’s worldwide value accounted for almost 10% of global GDP, and represented one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In the U.S., however, last year was a different story. North America ended the year as the slowest-growing region for tourism, with the industry’s economic value growing only 1% compared with 2024. That was almost entirely owing to plunging international visits to the U.S. While international travel rose by 80 million people in 2025, visitors to the U.S. fell 5.5%. The latest data point illustrated the country’s declining international appeal, regardless of how long people intend to stay. 

Bad press for the U.S.

The report isn’t the first to document declining interest in the U.S. as an international destination, which surveys have largely attributed to President Donald Trump’s policies. One analysis by Skift, a tourism-focused website, found 46% of travelers said they were less likely to visit the U.S. in 2025 because of Trump. The administration has tightened visa requirements, and nationals of dozens of countries have been barred entry to the U.S. altogether.

Most concerning to many would-be travelers was the administration’s immigration crackdown, which was accompanied by televised reports of violent clashes with law enforcement in several large American cities and typical tourist draws. European and Canadian visitors have been caught up in the president’s deportation campaign as well, likely discouraging more tourism. One German tourist crossing overland from Mexico into California last year was held in a detention center for six weeks, including a spell in solitary confinement.

Combined with Trump’s tariff regime, musings to invade Greenland, and a wide range of other enacted or planned policies—such as one proposal to force tourists to divulge their social media history before being granted access to the U.S.—the country’s international brand has taken a hit. 

The shift comes with real economic costs. A separate report released this week by the nonprofit U.S. Travel Association found domestic and international travel supported 15 million jobs and generated $3 trillion in output last year, representing 2.4% of GDP. But that figure could have been even higher without the decline in international tourism. The WTTC estimated foreign tourists in the U.S. spent $176 billion last year, more than $14 billion less than in 2024.

A summer reprieve?

The U.S. remains the largest travel market in the world, largely owing to the $1.5 trillion domestic tourists spend every year seeing the country. And the WTTC projected 2026 to be a different story for the U.S. as the country prepares to cohost the FIFA World Cup this summer, a monthlong event involving 11 cities that could attract 1.24 million international visitors. 

The tournament is likely to generate billions in economic output in a relatively short period, according to a study earlier this month by the U.S. Travel Association. Each World Cup visitor from abroad expects to spend more than $5,000 during their stay, on average, the study found, nearly twice as much as international tourists usually spend.

But even a wildly successful World Cup month might be looked back on as a regretful case of what-ifs. Experts have warned a long list of headaches could force tourists considering visiting the U.S. this summer to shorten their trip or cancel it entirely, including expensive match tickets, strict visa procedures, safety concerns, and rising airfares owing to the war in the Middle East. Citing recent reports showing the decline in international visitors to the U.S., some analysts have slightly downgraded their projections for tourist volume this summer.

An early indicator the U.S. might want to keep its expectations in check for the summer has been hotel prices. Rather than raising room rates as would normally happen during periods of expected high demand, hotels across the U.S. have started slashing prices for this summer, the Financial Times reported this week, with some host cities seeing match-day rates tumble as much as one-third. Domestic tourists are a spending power in the U.S., but international visitors, who might stay longer and venture farther afield, are sorely missed.