U.S. Travel Sector Braces for 4.5M Visitor Downturn Despite Anticipated Growth
The U.S. Travel Association has unveiled its revised 2025 forecast, exposing worrying trends for the American travel sector. While domestic travel maintains stability, with Americans expected to spend $1.2 trillion on travel-related expenses throughout the year, international arrivals are predicted to plummet significantly from 72.4 million in 2024 to 67.9 million in 2025. This marks the first decline since 2020.
This decrease in international visitors poses a threat to billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs across the travel, dining, and hospitality industries. International visitors are estimated to spend $173 billion annually, positioning travel as the nation’s largest services export. According to the association, the U.S. travel industry contributes $2.9 trillion to GDP and supports nearly one in 10 American jobs.
Industry leaders are calling on policymakers to modernize travel infrastructure and eliminate barriers to reverse this trend. Despite near-term challenges, analysts anticipate inbound travel to bounce back in 2026, bolstered by major global events hosted in the United States.
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