Foreign Visitors

[yrunvs]

“The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global body representing the Travel & Tourism private sector, today announced its latest Economic Impact Research which found that the U.S. is on track to lose a staggering $12.5BN in international visitor spending this year.“

Times 3.

Good grief, WTTC a global body. Let's hope this post is true.

[snobear]

i am a regular visitor to the US from Canada and certainly have no plans to change that.
I have to think that seeing a few less numbers in there parks might not be a bad thing as lots are becoming very crowded.

[Perazzimx14]

Good grief, WTTC a global body. Let's hope this post is true.

To quote Lili Von Shtüpp "It's Twue" the WCCT is an organization. Their relevance is debatable as its quite possibly just another worthless "World" organization.   

Direct from the WCCT's site from an article published 5/13/25 about travel 2025 halfway through 2025. Since there are only 11 days left in 2025 it seems as though we have weathered the 12.5 billion dollar tourism economic storm with no drama. I  also like how 2019 is referenced as a high water mark and since then we have been hurling towards economic collapse with a 22% decline in tourism from 2019 to 2025. Wonder if that pandemic thing had any effect. Funny if you cherry pick data to compare you can distort the facts however you like. For instance if you look at tourism numbers from 2020 to 2021 there was a 79% increase.


London, UK, May 13, 2025: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global body representing the Travel & Tourism private sector, today announced its latest Economic Impact Research which found that the U.S. is on track to lose a staggering $12.5BN in international visitor spending this year.

Notably, international visitor spending to the U.S. is projected to fall to just under $169BN this year, down from $181BN in 2024.

This significant shortfall represents a 22.5% decline compared to the previous peak.

The loss won’t be felt by Travel & Tourism alone, with WTTC saying it represents a direct blow to the U.S. economy overall, impacting communities, jobs, and businesses from coast to coast.

According to the study, the U.S, the largest Travel & Tourism sector in the world, is the only country among 184 economies analysed by WTTC and Oxford Economics, forecast to see international visitor spending decline in 2025.


A Global Leader in Reverse

 Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “This is a wake-up call for the U.S. government. 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 U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”

Simpson continues, “Without urgent action to restore international traveller confidence, it could take several years for the U.S. just to return to pre-pandemic levels of international visitor spend, not even the peak from 10 years ago.

“This is about growth in the U.S. economy - it is doable, but it needs leadership from DC.”


In 2024, nearly 90% of all tourism spending came from domestic travel, with Americans holidaying at home in record numbers. But this heavy reliance on homegrown tourism is masking a serious vulnerability; the international market is where the real growth lies, and the U.S. is losing its crown.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, new international arrivals data for March 2025 reveal a sharp and widespread drop in inbound travel from many of the country’s key source markets:

UK arrivals, one of the U.S.’s most important source markets, down nearly 15% year over year
Germany, another significant source market, plunged more than 28%
South Korea – down almost 15%
Other key markets, such as Spain, Colombia, Ireland, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, saw double-digit drops between 24% and 33%

As widely expected, the Canadian market is drying up, with early summer bookings down over 20% compared to last year. This is more than a dip. It’s a wake-up call.

While other countries are powering forward, the U.S. is slipping backward. Relying on domestic travellers might have kept the lights on during the pandemic, but without a bold international recovery plan, the world’s biggest Travel & Tourism economy risks falling further behind.


A Missed Economic Opportunity

The economic cost of inaction is clear. Travel & Tourism contributed $2.6TN to the economy last year and supported more than 20mn jobs. It also contributed more than $585BN in tax revenue annually, accounting for almost 7% of all government income. It could be even higher with a strong international visitor base. The sector has long been a reliable driver of federal, state, and local tax receipts.

At the same time, outbound travel is surging. Americans are travelling abroad in large numbers, yet inbound recovery from key markets has stalled. The U.S. is welcoming fewer visitors from its neighbours and countries further afield, which is a clear indicator that the global appeal of the U.S. is slipping.

WTTC warns that this imbalance not only affects local economies and employment but also undermines America’s position as a top global destination for trade, culture, and business.

In 2019, international visitors generated $217.4BN in revenue and supported almost 18MN jobs across America. Today, that legacy is under threat.

WTTC is calling for immediate action to address travel access, rebuild international marketing efforts, and restore global traveller confidence in the U.S.

[blackcat]

“12/11/25

Recent data from the U.S. government shows international visitation to the U.S. dropped again last month, making November the seventh straight month with a year-over-year decline.

Visitation from overseas dropped 3.5% to 2.5 million for the month, according to data released Thursday from the National Travel and Tourism Office. The drop was slightly bigger than October’s 3.1% decline but an improvement from March, when overseas visitation plummeted 11.6%.
Inbound tourism to the U.S. continues to lag behind pre-pandemic rates, with November’s figures roughly 85% of pre-pandemic volume. The U.S. Travel Association doesn’t expect a full recovery to pre-pandemic inbound tourism volume until 2029, when international arrivals are projected to hit 81.9 million.

The fall off in tourism to the U.S. was one of the Skift Megatrends for 2026, and we reported the reasons for the decline include affordability and policies from the Trump administration. Travelers to the U.S. face a number of increased fees and entry restrictions, including a forthcoming $250 visa “integrity fee” and, if approved, a new requirement to provide five years of social media history.
Western Europe and Asia Hold Back on U.S. Travel

November’s decline was fueled by fewer visitors from Western Europe and Asia, which collectively sourced more than half of overseas tourists to the U.S. Visitation from Western Europe was down 5.5% in November, while Asia was down 1.2%.
Declines were common among some of the top tourist-generating countries for the U.S.:
United Kingdom: -1.8%.
Brazil: -8.5%.
India: -9.2%.
Germany: -8.2%.
France: -8%.

There were a few bright spots for the U.S., with a surge in visitation from Japan (up 11.5%), South Korea (up 9.2%), and Colombia (up 13.4%).
An April survey from Skift Research suggests the U.S. political climate, safety concerns, entry restrictions, and affordability issues have turned travelers away this year. Nearly half (42%) of surveyed international travelers said they were less likely to plan a trip to the U.S. in 2025. 
The NTTO this week also released updated figures for September that show a 1.9% increase in tourism from Mexico, a 29% decline from Canada, and a 7.7% decline from overseas. Total international visitor volume for the month hit 5.5 million, down 11% from last year.

Visits from Canada Down, Too

The preliminary data from the NTTO does not include arrivals from Mexico and Canada, but data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada shows another steep drop in visitors from Canada.
The number of Canadian residents returning by car from the U.S. fell 28.6% in November from last year, marking the 11th consecutive month of declines, while Canadian-resident return trips by air dropped 19.3%. 
In addition, Statistics Canada revealed earlier this month that Canadian residents took 5.6 million trips to the U.S. during the second quarter of 2025, a 21.6% drop from last year. Canadian residents spent roughly $4.8 billion during those visits, roughly 15% down from a year ago. 
The U.S. could also see a decline this winter in a historically loyal group of Canadian travelers. Snowbird Advisor, an online resource geared toward retired and semi-retired people who spend winters outside of Canada, reported earlier this month that a survey of 4,000 members found 70% plan to visit the U.S. this year, down from 82%.”

[ridingron]

I live in Orlando, 15 minutes from Micky Mouse land, 25 minutes from the Universal parks and about 90 miles from Busch Gardens (Tampa). I haven't noticed a big drop in traffic or customers at the Walmart between Universal and Disney. Don't go any where near that Walmart after 6-7 o'clock. It's a mad house!

[ridingron]

If you feel that way, then stay home. I'll even say please.




I do and I will,thank you very much

Oh no, no, no! Thank you!

[Gliderjohn]

I am hardly worldly but I know a person from Canada and one from NZ that have been repeated visitors to the US and now will not consider coming here because of the immigration/border crap show.
GliderJohn

[yrunvs]

Somebody forgot to take their meds today.

[Ncdan]

This thread has crossed a line that we don’t cross on WGC and has evolved into a political motivated thread, as I figured it would but gave it a chance.
Drop the political aspects or don’t post, please.

Dan

[rocker59]

This thread has crossed a line that we don’t cross on WGC and has evolved into a political motivated thread, as I figured it would but gave it a chance.
Drop the political aspects or don’t post, please.

Dan

Yep.  They always do.  This one simmered longer than most, though...  LOL.   

[Ncdan]

A couple PMs were sent out to members.
Please take the contents of the PM seriously as there will be little leave way from this point.

Dan