Foreign travel spending in US to decline 7% in 2025, report says

By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK (Reuters) -International question spending successful the United States is expected to diminution astir 7%, oregon $12.5 billion, successful 2025 arsenic authorities and a beardown dollar punctual overseas visitors to opt for different destinations, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

International travelers are shunning U.S. vacations owed to unpopular policies from the medication of President Donald Trump, fearfulness of being stopped astatine the borderline and an unfavorable speech rate, said Julia Simpson, CEO of the WTTC, an enactment representing the question industry's backstage sector.

"Of 184 countries, the U.S. is the lone 1 that's seeing an implicit diminution successful planetary visitant spending," Simpson said. "The U.S. is decidedly losing its crown successful this area."

The U.S. is the largest question and tourism system globally, she said. However, planetary visitant spending successful the state is projected to autumn nether $169 cardinal this year, down from $181 cardinal successful 2024 and 22% beneath its erstwhile highest successful 2019.

A beardown dollar, which makes U.S. vacations much expensive, caused a diminution successful overseas question spending successful the state successful 2024, Simpson said, but present authorities and worries astir crossing the borderline were besides weighing connected U.S. visitation figures.

In March, Germany updated its U.S. question advisory to stress that a visa oregon introduction waiver does not warrant introduction aft respective Germans were detained astatine the border.

The Trump medication requires each foreigners 14 oregon older to registry and taxable fingerprints if they enactment beyond 30 days. This includes Canadians, who antecedently could sojourn for up to six months without a visa.

"The remainder of the satellite are putting up unfastened signs and getting radical to travel and spot their country," Simpson told Reuters. "The U.S. astatine the infinitesimal has firmly got a 'we're not unfastened for business, closed' sign, which is simply a large shame."

While 90% of U.S. question and tourism spending comes from home tourists, Canadian travelers walk 3 times much connected U.S. vacations than Americans, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Overseas visitors walk 7 to 8 times much than U.S. travelers.

Travel from Canada and Mexico, the largest root of inbound visitors to the U.S., is down astir 20% year-over-year, the enactment said. Visits from British, German and South Korean travelers are besides trending lower.

Overall, overseas question to the U.S. fell astir 12% year-over-year successful March but roseate 8% successful April, according to information from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo successful New York; Editing by Nia Williams)