U.S. Could Lose $12.5 Billion In International Travel Spending This Year, Tourism Council Says
Posted on: May 13, 2025 14:32 IST | Posted by: Nytimes
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Border detentions and confusion over visas are deterring international visitors, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, and the price tag for their hesitancy could be steep.
The U.S. Welcome mat is rolling up — at least that’s how some international travelers see it, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, a global organization representing the travel and tourism industry. And the cost for that hospitality lapse will be high.
The United States is on track to lose $12.5 billion in international travel spending this year, falling to less than $169 billion from $181 billion in 2024, according to the latest Economic Impact Research, published by the W.T.T.C. On Tuesday.
That’s a 22.5 percent decline from the U.S. International spending peak of $217.4 billion in 2019 — and it comes after months of Trump administration policies that have deterred foreign travelers from visiting because they either feel unwelcome or unsafe.
Julia Simpson, the president and chief executive of the W.T.T.C., said that while last year U.S. Travel spending remained below 2019 levels — mainly because the dollar's strength made it expensive for international travelers — the downward projection for this year is driven by negative sentiment in the wake of tourist detentions and steep tariffs.
“The near neighbors, Canada and Mexico, are not traveling,” Ms. Simpson said, referring to a decline in travelers from those countries in reaction to immigration crackdowns, tariffs and politically charged statements on the part of the Trump administration. “There are also concerns over visas — whether they’ve got the right visa or might accidentally get arrested, which has made people quite fearful.”
The United States is the only country among the 184 economies analyzed by the W.T.T.C. And the global economic advisory firm Oxford Economics that is forecast to see an international visitor decline in 2025. As the United States tightens immigration and scrutinizes visitors at its borders, other countries, like China, are relaxing visa requirements, aiming to encourage international tourism.
“While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. Government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign,” Ms. Simpson said. “I’m quite sure President Trump, with his background in hospitality, understands that holiday makers just want to come and enjoy the beautiful country and the people and the history and then go home again,” she said. “They don’t want to live there.”
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