U.S. International Tourism Falls as Travel from Key Markets Declines

International tourism to the United States has declined despite the country hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with visitors from several major allied countries recording significant drops, Martha McHardy reported for The Daily Beast.

International tourists visit the United States during a period of declining travel from several major overseas markets. [Photo: FIFA World Cup Facebook]

Visitors from Canada were down 23% year-to-date, while travel from Germany and France declined 16% and 15%, respectively, according to data cited by the US Travel Association.

Geoff Freeman, the association’s president and CEO, said the United States was experiencing a significant decline in international visitation.

The decline follows a weaker 2025 for US international tourism.

The original article said the United States was on pace to receive about 2 million fewer international visitors than the previous year and that overseas visits were roughly 20% below the 2019 peak.

Those figures should be attributed to the specific source and measurement period because international-arrival estimates can vary depending on whether they include all foreign visitors or only overseas visitors.

Data from mobile-tracking company Cuebiq were also cited as indicating that Canadian travel to some major US cities had fallen substantially over the previous year.

The decline has raised concerns among tourism businesses and industry groups because international visitors typically contribute significantly to spending on hotels, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and retail.