Last year, as we looked ahead to 2025, we said that while the Trump administration was a known entity for the travel industry, it was also one with the potential to surprise.
That ended up being an understatement.
From the steep downturn in travelers from Canada, the No. 1 source of international visitation for the U.S., to stories of travelers being detained and having their phones and laptops searched, the U.S. became, according to U.S. Travel, the only nation in the world to see a reduction in travel this year: it dropped to less than 68 million visitors from 72 million in 2024. The Canada pullback alone is projected to drive a 6.3% dip in inbound numbers.
Geoff Freeman, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said this is "one of the more challenging environments I've ever worked in."
Many of the causes for the travel reduction, he said, are "self-inflicted wounds," and he is hopeful policies will be reviewed and reversed in 2026.
For example, U.S. Travel hopes to stop the proposed $250 visa fee for non visa-waiver travelers, which it called a "travel deterrence fee" that could result in 1 million fewer international visits in 2026 from top markets including Mexico, China, India and Brazil.
"We can't put a fee in place that would discourage travelers from coming," Freeman said, adding that a top priority for U.S. Travel this year is making sure the fee "never sees the light of day. It's completely self-inflicted harm."
What the industry and the administration need to do, he said, is focus on the success of the once-in-a-generations events coming in 2026 that can help turn things around. They include the FIFA World Cup, America's 250th birthday and the Route 66 centennial.
"These are generational opportunities," Freeman said. "So how do we take advantage of them in order to ensure that '26 is a more successful year than '25? That's the question."
Freeman places blame for the current issues on the government, but he is also quick to commend the pro-travel steps the White House has taken, such as major investments in air traffic control and the creation of the World Cup task force with a fast pass on visas for ticket holders.
"There are ample examples of this administration making travel a priority, and we're certainly grateful for that," he said. "I think it's oftentimes the unintended consequences that we're kind of getting caught up in the in the wake of."
Among them are the "horror perceptions" he said travelers have, such as thinking they have to wipe their phone before entering the U.S. "We need to do a better job of cleaning up the perception."
It is one of several areas he said the U.S. has to focus on to attract more international visitors, including the further lowering of visa wait times and the integration of new technology to process travelers faster.
Also needed, Freeman said, is making travelers feel welcome.
And the reduced funds for Brand USA in the 2026 budget makes that more challenging.
"The world is wondering whether they're welcomed in the United States," he said. "To cut the resources to the organization whose job it is to let the world know they're welcome? The need for Brand USA has never been greater."
Freeman also said Brand USA can serve to clear up the misconceptions people have about traveling to the U.S. and emphasize the improvements that have been made on the visa side.
Brand USA, he said, has an opportunity to work with federal agencies to help get the message out to travelers that "they don't have a reason to be concerned about being detained or having their device searched, that those things are not happening in any greater numbers than they happened in the past."