Eighty million more people traveled internationally in 2025 than the year before. But they weren't coming to the United States. CNN's analysis of the tourism collapse: roughly 4 million fewer international visitors and $14 billion in lost spending — a 5.5% drop.
Canada led the retreat, down more than 20% in official figures, with mobile tracking data suggesting that Canadian visits to major American cities fell by about 42%. Germany was off 11.3%. The list goes on: India, France, Australia, Chile, China. Juliette Kayyem of Harvard Kennedy School summed up the brand damage: "We used to be a country that others wanted to emulate. That narrative no longer exists."
A Skift survey found 46% of travelers said they were less likely to visit the US because of Trump. A German tourist spent six weeks detained, including time in solitary confinement. The administration proposed demanding a full half-decade of social media data from visa-waiver travelers before they could enter. Trade war tariffs soured Canada specifically, and Las Vegas saw Canadian visitors drop 17% after Trump announced his steel and aluminum levies.
The World Cup comes to 11 American cities this summer and is projected to draw 1.24 million international visitors — each spending roughly $5,000, nearly double a typical tourist's tab. But analysts have already downgraded those projections, and hotels have started cutting room rates.
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