Trump meets travel CEOs to reverse slide in foreign visitors
Trump huddles with travel industry leaders to reverse a 5.5% drop in foreign visitors, aiming for 100 million annual arrivals.
President Donald Trump met with executives from major travel and hospitality companies on Wednesday to discuss strategies for reversing a sustained decline in international tourism to the United States.
The meeting included leaders from American Airlines, Marriott, MGM Resorts, Carnival, Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Venetian, among others.
The push comes as data shows foreign visitor numbers have struggled despite a temporary boost from the FIFA World Cup. Travel spending rose 6.2% year-on-year in June to $122.1 billion, marking the strongest monthly reading in a year, with the tournament drawing record attendance.
However, the broader picture remains weak. Overall travel to the U.S. fell 5.5% in 2025 compared to the previous year, and overseas visitors were down another 4.7% through July 2026, according to the Commerce Department.
Geoff Freeman, president of the U.S. Travel Association, said the industry is aiming to attract 100 million foreign visitors annually—a sharp increase from the 68 million recorded in 2025. "Let's make the U.S. the world's most visited destination. That's France today," he said, noting France welcomed a record 102 million foreign tourists last year.
Industry officials attribute the decline to several factors, including lengthy visa interview wait times, higher airfares, stricter immigration policies, tariffs, and travel restrictions on certain countries.
A particular concern is the administration's imposition of bonds for visitors from 50 countries, which Freeman said has led to an 80% drop in arrivals from those nations. "We cannot get to 100 million travelers with a bond program that would discourage travelers," he told reporters.
Canadian arrivals fell 20% last year amid tensions over tariffs and annexation rhetoric, hitting destinations like Las Vegas, where tourist numbers dropped 7.5% in 2025.
The White House highlighted efforts to ease airport screening, including allowing passengers to keep shoes on and adding family lanes, while planning biometric fast lanes for returning citizens and quicker international connections.
Freeman indicated that a Homeland Security threat to halt border processing at Newark and other airports in "sanctuary cities" appears to have been dropped, easing fears of travel chaos.