America’s Tourism Slump Has a Few Surprising Winners

Overseas arrivals to the United States fell 5.7 percent year on year in the first nine months of 2026, to about 24.11 million, according to preliminary figures from the National Travel and Tourism Office. September alone brought roughly 2.7 million overseas visitors, down 4.3 percent. The slide follows a 5.5 percent drop in total international arrivals in 2025, from 72.3 million to 68.3 million.

Western Europe accounts for most of the damage. Visitors from the region fell about 8.7 percent to roughly 8.59 million, and Western Europe made up nearly three-quarters of September’s monthly decline. Individual markets look worse still: France is down 15.3 percent, Germany 14.9 percent, Italy 12.2 percent and South Korea 19.7 percent. Asia overall slipped 6.1 percent, with India down 9 percent and Spain down 5 percent.

The winners are fewer but real. Ecuador is up 14.9 percent and Colombia 14.1 percent, while Japan grew 1.7 percent and Brazil 1.3 percent. Analysts cited by the Financial Times point to tighter immigration enforcement, visa scrutiny and a strong dollar. Reuters has reported more than 300,000 visa revocations since January 2025 and a visitor bond program covering travelers from 50 countries.

The government’s own forecast expects total international arrivals of 70.5 million in 2026, up 3.2 percent, rising to 85.2 million by 2030. That still falls short of the 100 million visitors per year by 2030 that the US Travel Association promotes. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates international visitor spending dropped by $8.4 billion in 2025, a gap hotels, airlines and attractions are now feeling directly.

Sources: Travel Daily News