U.S. Tourism Declines by 4 Million Visitors in 2025

In 2025, the United States experienced a drastic decline in international tourism, with four million fewer visitors compared to the previous year, resulting in an $8 billion decrease in total spending. This represented a 5.5% drop, marking the worst single-year decline in two decades, excluding the pandemic year of 2020.

Juliett Kayyem, Faculty Chair at the Harvard Kennedy School's Homeland Security Project, noted that the decline was largely due to a significant drop in Canadian visitors, who traditionally make up a large portion of U.S. tourism. Joe Koenen, who runs a free walking tour in Seattle, reported a substantial decrease in bookings, while Adam Duford, who operates a surf tour company in Santa Monica, had to let go of seven employees due to the downturn.

The anticipated boost from events like the World Cup failed to materialize, with projections indicating that international arrivals would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2029. Adam Sack, President of Tourism Economics, emphasized the need for the U.S. to restore its tourism brand and address the barriers affecting international travel.