Not even the World Cup saved the American travel industry, as China takes over top spot

The US is attracting millions fewer international travelers, compared to forecasts from just two years ago.

Foreign travel to the United States plunged in 2025, to levels last seen in 2012.

The hospitality industry expected a boom in 2026, with 11 cities hosting World Cup events, and huge per-person tourist spend.

But most host cities in the United States continue to show declines from even last-year’s dismal numbers.

China has probably already surpassed the US as the number one global tourist destination, with leisure and business travel up sharply, along with spending.

Closing scene, Dongguan

Resources and links:

NTTO Forecast of International Visitation to the United States
https://www.trade.gov/feature-article/ntto-forecast-international-visitation-united-states

Visitors to US dropped by millions last year in biggest decline since Covid-19 pandemic
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/us-tourism-decline-usa-international-visitors-b2984288.html

U.S. Tourism Takes Massive Hit with 4 Million Fewer International Visitors Last Year: Report
https://people.com/u-s-tourism-takes-massive-hit-with-4-million-fewer-international-visitors-last-year-report-11985347

Staggering dip in US tourism is a troubling sign for the future
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/25/travel/analysis-tourism-fewer-international-visitors-2025-vis

US lost 4 million tourists in 2025 — and the World Cup won’t fix it
https://boingboing.net/2026/05/25/us-lost-4-million-tourists-in-2025-and-the-world-cup-wont-fix-it.html

U.S. Inbound Tourism Drops 14% in April, Erasing Two Months of Gains
https://skift.com/2026/05/11/us-inbound-international-tourism-april/

European Visitors To U.S. Dropped 7% In May—As Tourism Industry Seeks World Cup Turnaround
https://www.travelpirates.com/captains-log/us-tourism-drops-14-percent-summer-2026

Economic Impact of China’s Travel and Tourism
https://researchhub.wttc.org/product/factsheet-china-travel-tourism-economic-impact

China on track to surpass US as world’s leading travel and tourism economy
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/china-tourism-economy-overtake-united-states-b2990253.html

Pricey World Cup keeps fans away, hits US hotels, airlines
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/pricey-world-cup-keeps-fans-away-hits-us-hotels-airlines-2026-06-11/

America’s tourism slump will outlast the World Cup
https://unherd.com/newsroom/americas-tourism-slump-will-outlast-the-world-cup/

How much has Canadian travel to U.S. cities declined?
https://mappingtariffs.org/canada-us-visits

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