World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reported (13-May-2025) the US is on track to lose USD12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025. Details include:
- International visitor spending to the US is projected to decrease from USD181 billion in 2024 to "just under" USD169 billion in 2025. WTTC stated the decline will impact communities, jobs and businesses across the US;
- The US is the only country among the 184 economies analysed by WTTC and Oxford Economics that is forecast to record a decline in international visitor spending in 2025;
- US Department of Commerce international arrivals data for Mar-2025 shows decreases in arrivals of more than 28% year-on-year from Germany, 15% from the UK, almost 15% from South Korea and between 24% and 33% from other markets such as Spain, Colombia, Ireland, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. Bookings from Canada for travel in early summer 2025 decreased more than 20%.
WTTC called for "immediate action to address travel access, rebuild international marketing efforts, and restore global traveller confidence in the US". WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson commented: "The world's biggest Travel & Tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction, not because of a lack of demand, but because of a failure to act. While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the US government is putting up the 'closed' sign". Ms Simpson added: "Without urgent action to restore international traveller confidence, it could take several years for the US just to return to pre-pandemic levels of international visitor spend, not even the peak from 10 years ago". [more - original PR]