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Foreign visitors to the US fell 6% in 2025

Fahad Redha

January 23, 2026
3 min read

Foreign visitors to the US fell 6% in 2025

The USA saw a 6% fall in foreign visitors in 2025, while global tourism spending overall saw a 6.7% rise. Over 1.5 billion tourists spent $11.7 trillion on hotels, flights, and cruises in 2025, data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has found.

The tourism industry contributed to 10.3% of global GDP, with tourism spending growing at double the rate of global economic growth, according to the WTTC.

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Many people, especially younger generations, are travelling more frequently, but concerns over the US’ immigration crackdowns have seen tourists look elsewhere. Spain, France, and Japan are among the preferred destinations, according to WTTC interim President and CEO Gloria Guevara.

Latin Americans in particularly shunned the US as a destination, with Mexicans who chose America as their destination of choice opting for shorter trips, according to Guevara. Foreign visitors to the US from Canada, Mexico, and Europe spent 7% less, WTTC estimates found.

But spending from domestic travellers has offset this, with the US remaining the largest travel and tourist economy in the world. The tourism industry, Guevara said, continues to grow despite some local backlash in certain hotspot areas.

“We have not seen the impact of overtourism, and the best example is precisely where overtourism has been generated, particularly in Europe and Japan, where we are seeing another record,” she said.

Globally, the WTTC expects the tourism industry to continue to grow in 2026 and outpace global economic growth. It estimates that France saw 105 million visitors in 2025, while Spain saw 96.5 million foreign visitors, far more than the 68 million who travelled to the US in 2025.

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