U.S. Tourism: Recent Developments and Data

Summary

Tourism—both international and domestic—contributes millions of jobs and billions of dollars of spending to the national economy. In the past decade, the tourism industry has experienced a period with some disruptions. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden, dramatic decrease in tourism worldwide, including in and among the United States. By many measures, U.S. tourism spent the ensuing years rebounding from those losses. For example, international arrivals to the United States rose every year from 2020 through 2024.

In 2025, international arrivals to the United States fell 5.5% from 2024. This made the United States one of two countries among those with the 10 most international arrivals to see a decline in international tourists from 2024 to 2025. In addition, U.S. domestic airline passengers declined 1.0% from 2024 to 2025. Possible developments factoring into these trends include increased immigration enforcement, travel restrictions, new fees on nonimmigrant visas, and reduced funding for tourism promotion entities.

In Congress, various committees and subcommittees, including those of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, have held hearings touching on different aspects of U.S. tourism in recent years, including rural tourism, the impact of daylight saving time on tourism, and pandemic recovery efforts relative to tourism. P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation act, reduced the annual cap on federal funds provided to Brand USA—a public-private entity promoting international tourism to the United States—from $100 million to $20 million. Subsequent bills, including H.R. 6128 and S. 3220, would restore or increase Brand USA funding. Previous Congresses have also passed legislation related to U.S. tourism. For example, the 117^th Congress passed the Visit America Act (Subtitle A, Title VI, Division BB of P.L. 117-103, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022) which, among other things, authorized the creation of a new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism within the Department of Commerce.

Several considerations concerning tourism may be of interest to Congress. They include:

• The U.S. tourism outlook. As noted, both international arrivals to the United States and U.S. domestic airline passengers decreased in 2025 from 2024, making the United States an outlier among major tourism destinations. These developments come as the United States prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
• Tourism-related leadership positions. Although the Visit America Act established the position of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, to date, the position has not yet been filled. In addition, the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (a Federal Advisory Committee Act body that provides recommendations related to tourism to the Secretary of Commerce) appears to not have met since October 2024—despite its charter calling for meetings twice annually.
• Brand USA funding. As mentioned, legislation in the 119^th Congress reduced the annual cap on Brand USA's federal funds. In addition, Brand USA's statutory funding structure—that allows it to access federal funding—is set to expire at the end of FY2027 unless Congress acts.

Introduction

Some recent developments may have affected or have the potential to affect tourism to and within the United States. These include increased immigration enforcement, travel restrictions, new visa and admission fees, and tariffs and other economic considerations. As discussed in more depth in "Tourism Data and Recent Trends," international arrivals to the United States declined by 5.5% in 2025 as compared to 2024, and the number of domestic airline passengers declined by 1.0% in 2025 as compared to 2024.⁸ In addition, 2026 year-to-date international arrivals to the United States through June 2026 were 0.4% lower than year-to-date through June 2025.⁹

The Trump Administration's focus on immigration enforcement has led to some concerns about a dampening effect on U.S. tourism.¹⁰ There have been reports of tourists and other noncitizens being detained while traveling to the United States.¹¹ Additionally, in December 2025, the Trump Administration proposed a five-year social media review for Visa Waiver Program travelers.¹² Some Members of Congress objected to the proposal in a January 2026 letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, stating that "leading hospitality industry groups and international travel advocates have raised serious concerns that the breadth of this data collection could deter lawful, international visitors and impose significant new barriers to travel."¹³ More recently, in September 2026, the Department of State (DOS) announced that it will expand its existing review of certain visa applicants' social media history to include additional nonimmigrant (temporary) visa categories, though tourist visas are not subject to this review.¹⁴ Several countries, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, later adjusted travel advisories for their citizens wishing to visit the United States.¹⁵

In addition, the Trump Administration has acted to directly restrict U.S. entry for nationals of certain countries.¹⁶ For example, in June 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation suspending the entry of certain foreign nationals from 19 foreign countries.¹⁷ A December 2025 proclamation expanded these restrictions to nationals of 39 foreign countries.¹⁸ In July 2025, DOS reduced nonimmigrant visa validity (the period during which a visa is valid for travel to the United States) for new visas issued to nationals of certain countries.¹⁹ Visas allow the visa holder to travel to a U.S. port of entry and apply for admission, including, in the case of nonimmigrant visas, for tourism.

Other actions have also impacted or sought to impact nonimmigrant visas. In the 119^th Congress, P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation act, created a new "visa integrity fee."²⁰ The law mandated the fee be at least $250 and increase annually with inflation. In August 2025, DOS, citing existing statutory authority to require visa bonds from certain applicants for nonimmigrant visas, created a new visa bond pilot program to "to assess the operational feasibility of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds … and to inform any future decision concerning the possible use of visa bonds to ensure nonimmigrants using these visa categories comply with the terms and conditions of their visas and timely depart the United States."²¹ As of May 2026, DOS had applied visa bonds to nationals of 50 countries.²² DOS issued a final rule making the program permanent in August 2026.²³ Under the rule, bonds could be set as high as $20,000. In January 2026, 75 Members of Congress signed a letter to DOS and DHS that, among other things, objected to the visa bond program.²⁴

Following COVID-19-related delays in visa processing, visa interview wait times at many U.S. consulates around the world have decreased. Some posts, however, continue to experience lengthy backlogs for tourist visas. For example, as of September 2026, the average wait time for an interview for a tourist visa at the U.S. consulate in New Delhi was seven-and-a-half months, and in Mexico City it was six-and-a-half months.²⁵ In addition, in February 2025, the Trump Administration narrowed eligibility for waivers of the in-person nonimmigrant visa interview requirement, and in December 2025, it required applicants to attend interviews in their home countries.²⁶

The Corporation for Travel Promotion, which does business as Brand USA, markets international tourism to the United States by distributing information on U.S. entry policies and promoting leisure, business, and scholarly travel to and within the United States. Brand USA is funded in part by federal grants. (For more details see "Brand USA.") Prior to July 2025, grant amounts were capped at $100 million annually. However, P.L. 119-21 lowered the annual cap to $20 million.²⁷ Other bills in the 119^th Congress, including H.R. 6128 and S. 3220, would restore some funding to Brand USA. (See "Legislation and Debates.")

Economic conditions may also be impacting tourism. According to the U.S. Travel Association (U.S. Travel), a travel industry advocacy group, as of September 2026, travel prices were 29.9% above 2019 rates.²⁸ Higher fuel and airfare prices accounted for the largest portion of those increases. News reports suggest higher prices may be negatively impacting travel, especially for lower- and middle-income travelers.²⁹ Other developments may be affecting travel to the United States from particular places. Between 2000 and 2024, Canada was the country with the most arrivals to the United States every year other than 2020 and 2021. However, in 2025, Canadian arrivals to the United States decreased 20.9% from 2024.³⁰ This decline may reflect broader dynamics in the U.S.-Canada relationship, including trade tensions.³¹ Certain entities, including Brand USA, have tried to stoke Canadian tourism to the United States, with uncertain results to date.³² Some Members of Congress have also expressed concern at the decline of Canadian tourists to the United States.³³

The U.S. tourism industry includes domestic and international tourists. By at least some measures, the numbers of both had increased in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, although those trends appear to have slowed or reversed in 2025 and into 2026.

What Factors Affect Tourism?

Researchers note that tourism is influenced by a confluence of factors. For example, some point to inflation as impacting travel decisions.³⁵ Other factors that may affect tourism include:

• economic conditions such as exchange rates and household savings;
• labor availability and supply chain dynamics;
• weather and natural disasters;
• international relations and safety concerns;
• immigration policy; and
• travel infrastructure.

There are more domestic travelers than international tourists in the United States. According to data from the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were approximately 841.6 million seasonally adjusted domestic airline passengers in 2025.³⁸ That compared to about 68.3 million international visitors to the United States in that same year.³⁹ (Not all airline passengers travel for tourism; for example, some travel for work. In addition, some domestic tourism takes place by transportation modes other than flying.)

Notes: Amounts are seasonally adjusted.

Notes: Amounts are seasonally adjusted.

Compared to same month in prior year

Notes: Blue bars denote increases.

In 2025, the United States had 68.3 million international arrivals, the second highest of any country, after Spain.⁴⁵ However, while this represented a significant increase from 2020 and 2021, non-U.S. residents' share of total U.S. travel demand was 2.6% in 2023, the lowest share since at least 1998.⁴⁶ For context, non-U.S. residents' highest share of total U.S. travel demand during this period was 16.6%, in 2013 and 2015, and was at least 10% each year from 1998 through 2019.

Economists monitor travel and tourism exports. Travel and tourism exports are the amount of money that foreign visitors spend in the United States on passenger fares and travel-related goods and services such as food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, and local transportation, including travel to and from the United States on a U.S. airline. To improve the comparability of U.S. travel statistics with those of other countries, The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in 2014 refined its travel statistics by expanding the definition of travel and tourism exports to cover all kinds of travel, including travel for health and educational purposes.⁴⁹

Goods and services purchased by international visitors to the United States constitute export income for the U.S. economy. Likewise, purchases by U.S. residents while outside the country constitute export income for that other country and import income for the United States.⁵⁰ The difference between U.S. travel and tourism exports and imports is the trade balance for travel.

U.S. tourism exports were approximately $248.8 billion in 2025, down 1.2% from 2024.⁵¹ However, 2024 and 2025 had the largest amount of U.S. tourism exports dating back to at least 1999, surpassing the pre-pandemic high of $240.5 billion in 2018.

From January through July 2026, year-to-date tourism exports were approximately $145.4 billion, down 0.1% from the same period in 2025.⁵² U.S. travel and tourism exports in July 2025 accounted for 7.3% of total U.S. exports. (Travel and tourism exports' highest share of total U.S. exports on record was 9.6%, in April 2019.)⁵³ The U.S. travel trade balance went from $102.8 billion in 2015 to $14.1 billion in 2025. The 2025 U.S. travel trade balance was also down from $29.2 billion in 2024, a 51.6% decrease.⁵⁴

Dollars in billions

As of September 2026, no individual had yet been appointed to the Assistant Secretary role. In the 119^th Congress, the committee report for H.R. 5342, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, specified that the bill would include $3.5 million "to carry out activities associated with sections 604 and 605 of the Visit America Act."⁶³ (The Assistant Secretary position was established in section 604.) In the 118^th Congress, the explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 118-42, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, stated that "The agreement provides up to the requested level of $3,500,000 for ITA to implement the 'Visit America Act,'" which included the Assistant Secretary position.⁶⁴

The Trump Administration's FY2026 budget request included $84.4 million for ITA's Industry and Analysis business unit but did not specify how much was specifically to be used for NTTO or other work related to travel and tourism.⁶⁹

The 119^th Congress displayed interest in Brand USA. As noted, P.L. 119-21 lowered the annual cap on federal matching funds for Brand USA from $100 million to $20 million. Subsequently, the VISIT USA Act (H.R. 6128 and S. 3220) would transfer $160 million in unobligated balances from ESTA fees directly to Brand USA, while the Brand USA Restoration Act (H.R. 6202) would transfer $80 million from the general fund to the Travel Promotion Fund for use in FY2026.

As noted, the number of international arrivals to the United States in 2025 declined from 2024 numbers, making the United States one of two counties among the 10 countries with the most international arrivals in 2025 to have a decline in international arrivals from 2024 (see "Domestic and International Visitor Levels"). In addition, U.S. domestic airline passengers fell in 2025 from 2024.

It remains unclear when and to what degree U.S. tourism trends may shift from their current trajectory. In its May 2026 travel forecast, U.S. Travel predicted that international arrivals to the United States would not surpass 2019 levels until 2029.⁹¹ That would also remain below the National Travel and Tourism Strategy's goal of attracting 90 million annual international visitors by 2027.

Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about U.S. tourism's slowdown.⁹² These concerns come as the United States cohosted the 2026 World Cup and is to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Some reports on World Cup tourism suggest mixed results. For example, one analysis found that total 2026 World Cup attendance was nearly twice as high as the previous record. However, arrivals from countries participating in the World Cup in June and July 2026 were 1.1% less than arrivals from those same countries in June and July 2025; arrivals from non-participating countries in June and July 2026 were 8.9% lower than in June and July 2025.⁹³ (In addition to the United States, these numbers included arrivals to cohosts Canada and Mexico.)

Congress may choose to try to boost U.S. tourism. Some bills in the 119^th Congress seek to do so. For example, the American Music Tourism Act of 2025 (H.R. 617, which passed the House, and S. 195, which passed the Senate) would direct NTTO (in the House version) and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism (in the Senate version) to promote tourism to U.S. locations known for music. Congress may also choose to evaluate 2026 tourism data before considering any potential actions.

In the Visit America Act, the 117^th Congress established a new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism position within the Department of Commerce (Assistant Secretary; see "Department of Commerce"). A persistent critique of U.S. tourism policy is that it has been the only large nation without a federal agency or cabinet-level official responsible for tourism.⁹⁴ While not cabinet-level, the Assistant Secretary position represents the most senior U.S. government official whose job revolves around tourism. The Assistant Secretary must be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.⁹⁵

The Assistant Secretary position has not been filled to date. As noted, reports accompanying appropriations measures in the 119^th Congress (H.R. 5342) and 118^th Congress (P.L. 118-42) noted that the bills included funding for Visit America Act provisions and/or the Assistant Secretary position.⁹⁶ While the Biden Administration's FY2024 budget request proposed reorganizing ITA and NTTO to support the Assistant Secretary, the Trump Administration's FY2026 budget request did not mention the reorganization or Assistant Secretary. (See "Department of Commerce (DOC).")

Separately, the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) is a Federal Advisory Committee Act body that provides recommendations related to tourism to the Secretary of Commerce. (See "Department of Commerce (DOC).") According to TTAB's charter, the entity is required to meet at least twice a year. However, as of September 2026, TTAB appears not to have met since October 2024.⁹⁷ In a September 2026 letter to the Secretary of Commerce, eight Senators urged TTAB to resume its regular meeting schedule.⁹⁸

Congress could address these issues. For example, Congress could include specific funding for the Assistant Secretary directly in appropriations acts, rather than in report language. Congress could also amend TTAB's authorizing statute to establish a particular meeting schedule. Conversely, Congress could determine that the Assistant Secretary position may be unnecessary, and potentially amend the position's statutory authority, or determine that TTAB's meeting schedule is not within Congress's purview.

In the 116^th Congress, the Brand USA Extension Act (Division I, Title VIII of P.L. 116-94, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020) extended Brand USA's funding structure, including its access to the Travel Promotion Fund, through FY2027.⁹⁹ As noted, Brand USA was the subject of legislative activity in the 119^th Congress, including reducing the cap on Brand USA's annual federal funds from $100 million to $20 million; subsequent proposals would restore or increase funding. (See "Brand USA.")

Given the upcoming expiration of Brand USA's current funding structure, Congress faces a choice on whether to extend that structure, let it lapse, or amend it to a different form. In addition to the 119^th Congress, recent Congresses have acted relative to Brand USA's finances. In the 117^th Congress, the Restoring Brand USA Act provided Brand USA with one-time access to $250 million. (See "Legislation and Debates".) However, that money appears to be running out: Brand USA's proposed budget for FY2027 was $165 million, a decrease from $252 million in FY2025.¹⁰⁰ Some Members of Congress have argued that it is unnecessary for the federal government to provide funding to assist the travel industry.¹⁰¹ Others counter that Brand USA provides economic benefits.¹⁰²

Brand USA's ROI increased after the pandemic through FY2024, but declined in FY2025, potentially reflecting larger slowdowns in tourism at that time. (Brand USA's ROI has been positive each year since at least FY2016.) The Brand USA ROI study was conducted by consultants commissioned by Brand USA.

In prior years, some—including supporters of Brand USA—have questioned the accuracy of the ROI figures.¹⁰³ It can also be difficult to isolate the effects of tourism promotion on international travel, as tourism can be influenced by many factors, including the global economy, current events, and current exchange rates. Further, some pre-pandemic studies have found that Brand USA's marketing efforts have little impact on international visitors to the United States.¹⁰⁴ Considering these factors, Congress may be interested in authorizing an updated, third-party evaluation of Brand USA.

Congress has indicated an interest in tourism to and within the United States for decades. Events in recent years, including tourism's dramatic decline following the COVID-19 pandemic, its recovery in the ensuing years, and reversal—at least on some measures—in 2025 and into 2026, mean that the U.S. tourism industry may continue to be an area of congressional interest for the foreseeable future.

Like other countries, the United States took steps to reduce the number of incoming international visitors in an attempt to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus (each of which has since been canceled). For example

• in January 2020, a presidential proclamation suspended entry into the United States for most visa holders traveling from China;¹⁰⁶
• in March 2020, a presidential proclamation suspended entry into the United States of all foreign nationals traveling from certain European countries;¹⁰⁷
• in May 2020, a presidential proclamation suspended entry into the United States of non-U.S. citizens from Brazil;¹⁰⁸
• in December 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers to the United States from the United Kingdom;¹⁰⁹
• in January 2021, the CDC expanded the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 to all air passengers to the United States from any foreign country;¹¹⁰ and
• in May 2021, a presidential proclamation suspended entry into the United States of non-U.S. citizens from India.¹¹¹

Legislation and Plans Related to the Pandemic and Tourism

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58) also appropriated funding for airport improvement projects. This included $15 billion to FAA for grants for airport infrastructure projects that increase safety and expand capacity.¹¹⁶ IIJA also appropriated $5 billion to FAA for competitive grants for airport terminals, including replacing aging terminals and airport-owned control towers.¹¹⁷

National Travel and Tourism Plans

Congress authorized the creation of national-level plans to address issues regarding the transportation and business aspects of tourism to guide the tourism industry's recovery following the pandemic. Those included plans from DOT and DOC.

Department of Transportation (DOT)—National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan

In the 114^th Congress, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (P.L. 114-94) required the Secretary of Transportation to develop and publish a national travel and tourism infrastructure strategic plan within three years of the law's enactment.¹¹⁸ Among other things, the plan was to include an assessment of the condition and performance of the national transportation network; an assessment of the issues on the national transportation network that create congestion and barriers to long-haul passenger travel and tourism; and forecasts of long-haul passenger travel and tourism over 20 years.

The plan's release exceeded the initial timeline set forth in P.L. 114-94 and it was ultimately published in January 2021.¹¹⁹ Although the plan took some of the pandemic's effects into account, much of its substance was developed before the pandemic. Congress amended the FAST Act in IIJA to require the Secretary of Transportation to update the plan within 180 days of IIJA's enactment.¹²⁰ The updated plan was required to include immediate- and long-term strategies across all modes of transportation for DOT and other agencies to use infrastructure investments to revive the tourism industry following the pandemic.¹²¹ IIJA also authorized the creation of a Chief Travel and Tourism Officer within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation.¹²² The new position has responsibility for carrying out the updated plan (along with DOT's Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs) and for other travel and tourism-related issues related to DOT. The position was filled in 2023,¹²³ although it is unclear if it is filled at the time of this report.

Department of Commerce (DOC)—National Travel and Tourism Strategy

The Visit America Act (Subtitle A, Title VI, Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, P.L. 117-328) required the Secretary of Commerce, at least every 10 years and in consultation with the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and the interagency Tourism Policy Council (TPC, both described in more detail in "Department of Commerce (DOC)"), to develop and submit to Congress a 10-year travel and tourism strategy. The Visit America Act requires the strategy to establish goals for the number of annual international visitors to the United States and the annual amount of travel and tourism commerce in the United States.¹²⁴

Separate from the requirements of the Visit America Act, the Secretary of Commerce—on behalf of the TPC—published the National Travel and Tourism Strategy (hereinafter "Strategy") in June 2022.¹²⁵ The Strategy set a goal of attracting 90 million international visitors annually to the United States by 2027—up from the 68.3 million international visitors who came to the United States in 2025—estimating that those visitors would spend $279 billion each year.¹²⁶ The Strategy is comprised of four "pillars" to help achieve those goals:

• Promoting the United States as a travel destination by leveraging existing programs and assets to promote U.S. tourism to international visitors and broaden marketing efforts towards underserved communities.
• Facilitating travel to and within the United States by reducing barriers to trade in travel services to make it easier for visitors to enter and travel around the United States.
• Ensuring diverse, inclusive, and accessible tourism experiences by supporting the development of diverse tourism products, with a focus on underserved communities and populations.
• Fostering resilient and sustainable travel and tourism by reducing tourism's contributions to climate change and building the tourism industry's resilience to natural disasters and public health threats.¹²⁷

Some data related to U.S. tourism, while useful, are not currently available beyond 2023. This includes certain data on tourism-related employment and economic activity.

Travel and Tourism Employment Trends

In 2023 there were 6.5 million people directly employed in tourism and 10.0 million indirectly employed in tourism. This exceeded the pre-pandemic high in 2019, when there were 6.4 million people directly employed in tourism and 9.6 million indirectly employed in tourism.¹²⁸

Numbers in thousands

Many tourism-related jobs are in relatively low-wage sectors.¹²⁹ For example, in 2023, food services and drinking places was the sector with the largest tourism employment; average annual compensation per tourism employee for that sector was $35,941.¹³⁰ Traveler accommodations, the sector with the second largest number of direct tourism employees, had an average annual compensation per tourism employee of $54,223 in 2023.

Tourism-Related Economic Activity

DOC's International Trade Administration (ITA) maintains the travel and tourism satellite accounts, a dataset containing a range of statistics related to U.S. tourism.¹³¹ (BEA used to keep these statistics along with ITA, but as of February 2026 no longer does so.¹³²) Among the metrics collected is travel and tourism value added. Value added measures the size of various industries, including employee compensation and taxes as well as profit. An industry's value added can be considered its contribution to the GDP.¹³³

Travel and tourism value added accounted for 3.0% of total U.S. GDP in 2023, the most recent year for which data are available.¹³⁴ This represented an increase from 2020, when travel and tourism value added accounted for 2.2% of total U.S. GDP, and matched the pre-pandemic figure in 2019.

Dollars in billions

Growth in travel and tourism value added has often outpaced U.S. GDP growth. In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, travel and tourism value added increased 8.9% from 2022, while U.S. GDP increased by 2.9%.¹³⁵ Some post-pandemic growth in travel and tourism value added may have resulted from pent-up demand for travel as the United States and countries eased pandemic restrictions on travel and as COVID-19 vaccines became widely available.¹³⁶ As more recent data become available, observers may want to note how travel and tourism value added growth compares to U.S. GDP growth as the effects of the pandemic continue to recede and other developments may have more impact on travel trends.

Output is another key metric for the tourism industry. Output represents total sales related to travel and tourism. In 2023, output exceeded 2019 numbers for the first time since 2020.¹³⁷

Dollars in millions

Notes: Dollars are adjusted for inflation. Output represents total sales related to travel and tourism.

Footnotes

International Trade Administration (ITA), Monthly Travel and Tourism Trade Statistics (Exports, Imports, and Trade Balance), https://www.trade.gov/international-travel-receipts-and-payments-program. (ITA, Monthly Travel.)

For example, see Sarah Raza, "International Visitors Came to the United States for Soccer. Some Saw Beyond the Clichés, Too," Associated Press, July 18, 2026, https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-united-states-fans-tourists-0cbe947fdfd7560490864ff6b88f9ccf.

BEA, U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Account for 2017-2021, February 9, 2023, https://apps.bea.gov/scb/issues/2023/02-february/0223-travel-tourism-satellite-account.htm.

GAO, Travel and Tourism, p. 4.

UN Tourism, Glossary of Tourism Terms, https://www.untourism.int/glossary-tourism-terms.

Jill H. Wilson, Analyst in Immigration Policy, contributed to this section.

Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), International Visitor Arrivals Program—ADIS I-94, https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program (ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program); and Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Monthly Transportation Statistics, U.S. Airline Traffic—Domestic—Seasonally Adjusted, https://data.bts.gov/Research-and-Statistics/Monthly-Transportation-Statistics/crem-w557/about_data.

ITA, I-94 Monthly Summary and Analysis Reports, Final Release (Overseas, Mexico, and Canada), https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program.

For example, see Lindsey Galloway, "Why Some Travellers Are Rethinking Trips to the US," BBC, April 7, 2026, and Michael Sainato, "Trump's Immigration Siege Is Rattling Hospitality Industry, Workers Say," The Guardian, February 18, 2026.

For example, see Sarah Betancourt, "Green Card Holder from New Hampshire 'Iinterrogated' at Logan Airport, Detained," WGBH, March 16, 2025, https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2025-03-14/green-card-holder-from-new-hampshire-interrogated-at-logan-airport-detained; and Jamie Grierson, "British Tourist Detained in US After Visa Mix-Up Returns to UK—reports," The Guardian, March 18, 2025.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision; Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)," 90 Federal Register 57208, December 10, 2025. For more on the Visa Waiver Program, see CRS Report RL32221, Visa Waiver Program, by Abigail F. Kolker.

Congresswoman Susie Lee, "Congresswoman Lee, Nevada Delegation Urge Department of Homeland Security to Revise Proposed Travel Rule," press release, January 15, 2026, https://susielee.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-nevada-delegation-urge-department-homeland-security-revise.

Department of State (DOS), Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants, September 18, 2026, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/announcement-of-expanded-screening-and-vetting-for-visa-applicants.html.

Rachel Chang, "Countries Are Warning Their Citizens About Traveling to the US Amid ICE Protests," Conde Nast Traveler, February 3, 2026.

For more information on these developments, see CRS Report IR10004, Nationality-Based Immigration Restrictions, by Jill H. Wilson.

Executive Office of the President, "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats," 90 Federal Register 24497, June 10, 2025. See also CRS Insight IN12561, Presidential Proclamation of June 4, 2025, Restricting the Entry of Certain Foreign Nationals, by Jill H. Wilson.

Executive Office of the President, "Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States," 90 Federal Register 59717, December 19, 2025. See also CRS Insight IN12631, Expanded "Travel Ban" to Take Effect January 1, 2026, by Jill H. Wilson.

See CRS Report IR10004, Nationality-Based Immigration Restrictions, by Jill H. Wilson.

139 Stat. 370. The law directs this fee to be paid by all nonimmigrant visa applicants at the time of visa issuance. CRS could not verify that this fee had been implemented as of the date of this report.

DOS, "Visas: Visa Bond Pilot Program," 90 Federal Register 37378, August 5, 2025. The statutory authority is 8 U.S.C. §1201(g).

DOS, Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/countries-subject-to-visa-bonds.html.

DOS, "Visas: Visa Bond Program," 91 Federal Register 48757, August 3, 2026.

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, "CAPAC Chair Meng Calls on Trump Administration to Reverse Visa Suspensions for 75 Countries," press release, January 29, 2026, https://capac.house.gov/press-release/capac-chair-meng-calls-trump-administration-reverse-visa-suspensions-75-countries.

DOS, Interview Waiver Update, February 18, 2025, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/interview-waiver-update-feb-18-2025.html; and DOS, Adjudicating Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) Applicants in Their Country of Residence, July 16, 2026, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/adjudicating-niv-applicants-in-their-country-of-residence.html.

139 Stat. 136.

U.S. Travel Association (U.S. Travel), Travel Price Index, https://www.ustravel.org/research/travel-price-index. Accessed September 25, 2026.

For example, see Joel Rose, "How Rising Costs Are Changing the Way Americans Travel," NPR, October 2, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/10/02/nx-s1-5553637/rising-costs-travel-scaling-back.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

For more information on U.S.-Canada trade, see CRS In Focus IF12595, U.S.-Canada Trade Relations, by Kyla H. Kitamura.

For example, see Rio Yamat, "U.S. Tourism Groups Want to Win Canadian Visitors Back. A Testy Trade War Isn't Helping," PBS, September 6, 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/u-s-tourism-groups-want-to-win-canadian-visitors-back-a-testy-trade-war-isnt-helping.

Joint Economic Committee Democrats, "Report: Amid Trumps Tariffs, Declining Canadian Tourism Is Harming Businesses in Every State Along U.S.-Canada Border," press release, December 10, 2025, https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2025/12/report-amid-trump-s-tariffs-declining-canadian-tourism-is-harming-businesses-in-every-state-along-u-s-canada-border.

Department of Commerce (DOC), National Travel and Tourism Strategy 2022, June 6, 2022, https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/National-Travel-Tourism-Strategy.pdf. (DOC, Strategy.)

OECD, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2022, August 12, 2022, p. 27, https://www.oecd.org/cfe/oecd-tourism-trends-and-policies-20767773.htm.

For example, see Ding Ding and Yannick Timmer, Exchange Rate Elasticities of International Tourism and the Role of Dominant Currency Pricing, International Monetary Fund, Working Paper No. 2022/024, February 4, 2022, p. 2, https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/WP/2022/English/wpiea2022024-print-pdf.ashx.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank System, U.S. Dollars to Euro Spot Exchange Rate, November 3, 2023, https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DEXUSEU.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Monthly Transportation Statistics, U.S. Airline Traffic—Domestic—Seasonally Adjusted, https://data.bts.gov/Research-and-Statistics/Monthly-Transportation-Statistics/crem-w557/about_data.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

BTS, Monthly Transportation Statistics, U.S. Airline Traffic—Domestic—Seasonally Adjusted, https://data.bts.gov/Research-and-Statistics/Monthly-Transportation-Statistics/crem-w557/about_data.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

UN Tourism, UN Tourism Data Dashboard, Compare Indicators—Countries, https://www.untourism.int/tourism-data/un-tourism-tourism-dashboard.

ITA, I-94 Monthly Summary and Analysis Reports, Final Release (Overseas, Mexico, and Canada), https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program.

UN Tourism, UN Tourism Data Dashboard, Compare Indicators—Countries, https://www.untourism.int/tourism-data/un-tourism-tourism-dashboard.

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, table 3, demand for commodities by type of visitor, 2021, https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program; and ITA, National Travel and Tourism Office: Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism, https://www.trade.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/TTSA-Fact-Sheet.pdf. Travel demand measures the consumption of certain goods and services related to tourism such as traveler accommodations and air transportation services.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

ITA, International Visitor Arrivals Program.

Maria Borga and Kristy L. Howell, The Comprehensive Restructuring of the International Economic Accounts: Changes in Definitions, Classifications, and Presentations, BEA, March 2014, https://apps.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2014/03%20March/0314_restructuring_the_international_economic_accounts.pdf.

ITA, National Travel and Tourism Office: Travel Exports, p. 1, https://www.trade.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/Travel-and-Tourism-Exports.pdf. (ITA, Travel Exports.)

ITA, Monthly Travel.

ITA, Monthly Travel.

ITA, International Travel Receipts and Payments Program, Share of U.S. Exports, https://www.trade.gov/international-travel-receipts-and-payments-program.

ITA, Monthly Travel.

Tourism Policy Council, https://www.trade.gov/tourism-policy-council.

22 U.S.C. §2124(b)(1).

For more information on the Federal Advisory Committee Act, see CRS In Focus IF12102, Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA): Committee Establishment and Termination, by Meghan M. Stuessy.

136 Stat. 5569-5570.

For a current list of TTAB members, see U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-advisory-board-members.

136 Stat. 5566-5567.

U.S. Congress, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Visit America Act, Report together with minority views to accompany H.R. 6965, 117^th Cong., 2^nd sess., September 28, 2022, H.Rept. 117-508, p. 5.

136 Stat. 5567-5569.

U.S. Congress, House Appropriations Committee, Report Together with Dissenting Views to Accompany H.R. 5342, 119^th Cong., 1^st sess., September 12, 2025, H.Rept. 119-272, p. 8.

U.S. Congress, House Appropriations Committee, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024—Committee Print of the Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 4366/P.L. 118-42, committee print, 118^th Cong., 2^nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 2024), p. 393.

ITA, International Trade Administration, Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2024, p. ITA-105, https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/ITA-FY2024-Congressional-Budget-Submission.pdf. (ITA, Budget Estimates 2024.)

ITA, Budget Estimates 2024, p. ITA-106.

ITA, Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2025, pp. APPR-14, https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/ITA-FY2025-Congressional-Budget-Submission.pdf.

ITA, Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2026, pp. ITA-12, https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/ITA-FY2026-Congressional-Budget-Submission.pdf. (ITA, Budget Estimates 2026.)

ITA, Budget Estimates 2026, p. ITA-8.

U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Travel Promotion Act of 2009, Report of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on S. 1023, 111^th Cong., 1^st sess., June 5, 2009, S.Rept. 111-25 (Washington: GPO, 2009), p. 3.

Sec. 9 of the United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009, P.L. 111-145.

124 Stat. 56.

124 Stat. 62.

Brand USA, FY27 Business Plan, p. 20, https://www.thebrandusa.com/about/governing-documents/fy27-business-plan/.

Brand USA, Restoring Brand USA Act Funding Plan, May 2022, p. 6, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1akRexLZre2u4cD_8GYYe0QwoDmq0-EWI/view.

124 Stat. 61.

139 Stat. 136.

133 Stat. 3029. The Brand USA Extension Act is Division I, Title VIII of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94).

124 Stat. 65.

128 Stat. 2219.

Executive Office of the President, Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2018, May 23, 2017, p. 35, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BUDGET-2018-BUD/pdf/BUDGET-2018-BUD.pdf.

For example, see U.S. Travel, "U.S. Travel Applauds Brand USA Bill Committee Passage," press release, November 17, 2021, https://www.ustravel.org/press/us-travel-applauds-brand-usa-bill-committee-passage.

The Restoring Brand USA Act is Division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103).

136 Stat. 1111-1112.

Jim DeMint, "Travel Promotion Bill Is Not What U.S. Needs," Washington Post, September 7, 2009.

Luke Gelber, "Brand USA: A Gravy Train Keeps Rolling," Citizens Against Government Waste, July 15, 2013, https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/brand-usa-gravy-train-keeps-rolling.

Chuck Grassley, "Grassley, Colleagues Seek Answers on Spending, Other Practices of Government-Sponsored Travel Promotion Agency," press release, June 15, 2012, https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-colleagues-seek-answers-spending-other-practices-government-sponsored.

Amy Klobuchar, "Klobuchar, Blunt Legislation to Revive Brand USA Passes Committee," press release, September 21, 2021, https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/9/klobuchar-blunt-legislation-to-revive-brand-usa-passes-committee.

See U.S. Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan, "Sullivan, Colleagues Introduce VISIT USA Act to Restore Brand USA Funding, Promote U.S. Tourism," press release, November 20, 2025, https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-colleagues-introduce-visit-usa-act-to-restore-brand-usa-funding-promote-us-tourism/; and United States Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, "Congressman Krishnamoorthi Introduces the Brand USA Restoration Act to Restore Funding for America's International Tourism Marketing Program," press release, November 20, 2025, https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-introduces-brand-usa-restoration-act-restore.

World Travel and Tourism Council, "Travel & Tourism Sees Best Year Ever and Emerges as the World's Fastest Growing Sector, Outpacing the Global Economy in 2025," press release, April 14, 2026, https://wttc.org/news/travel-tourism-sees-best-year-ever,-outpacing-the-global-economy-in-2025.

U.S. Travel, U.S. Travel Forecast, May 7, 2026, https://www.ustravel.org/research/travel-forecasts. Accessed September 28, 2026.

For example, see Kyle Chouinard, "Tourism Slide Prompts Cortez Masto to Demand White House Response," Las Vegas Sun, January 14, 2026; and Joint Economic Committee Democrats, "New: U.S. Local Businesses and Communities Hit by Declining Tourism, Job Losses Under President Trump," press release, May 4, 2026, https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2026/5/new-u-s-local-businesses-communities-hit-by-declining-tourism-job-losses-under-president-trump.

Tourism Economics, World Cup Bump to Overseas Arrivals and Hotel Performance, https://www.tourismeconomics.com/research/world-cup-bump-to-overseas-arrivals-and-hotel-performance/.

For example, see U.S. Congress, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Visit America Act, Report together with minority views to accompany H.R. 6965, 117^th Cong., 2^nd sess., September 28, 2022, H.Rept. 117-508, p. 5.

ITA, Budget Estimates 2024, p. ITA-109.

U.S. Congress, House Appropriations Committee, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024—Committee Print of the Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 4366/P.L. 118-42, committee print, 118^th Cong., 2^nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 2024), p. 393.

General Services Administration, Doc 25137—United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, https://www.facadatabase.gov/FACA/s/FACACommittee/a10t0000001gzmvAAA/com000220. Accessed September 28, 2026.

Senator Ruben Gallego, "Gallego, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Reconvene Essential Travel and Tourism Board," press release, September 16, 2026, https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-colleagues-urge-trump-administration-to-reconvene-essential-travel-and-tourism-board/.

133 Stat. 3029.

Brand USA, FY27 Business Plan, p. 22, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X_15Ph3NeA4vNikthrt68vilnDx5usca/view; and Robert Silk, "The Travel Industry Fights for Brand USA—and Its Survival, Travel Weekly, May 30, 2026, https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/Brand-USA-fights-for-restored-funding-and-its-own-survival.

For example, see Patrick Coffee, "Congress Asks Itself: Should the Government Help Market America to Tourists?," Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2025.

For example, see Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, "Cortez Masto Joins Bipartisan Visit USA Act to Restore Brand USA Funding, Promote U.S. Tourism," press release, January 8, 2026, https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-joins-bipartisan-visit-usa-act-to-restore-brand-usa-funding-promote-u-s-tourism/.

Staci M. Zavattaro and Daniel L. Fay, "Brand USA: A Natural Quasi-Experiment Evaluating the Success of a National Marketing Campaign," Tourism Management, vol. 70 (February 2019), pp. 42-48.

For example, see Adam Behsudi, Wish You Were Here, International Monetary Fund, December 2020, https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2020/12/impact-of-the-pandemic-on-tourism-behsudi, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Rebuilding Tourism for the Future: COVID-19 Policy Responses and Recovery, December 14, 2020, https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/rebuilding-tourism-for-the-future-covid-19-policy-responses-and-recovery-bced9859/.

Executive Office of the President, "Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures to Address This Risk," 85 Federal Register 6709-6712, February 5, 2020.

Executive Office of the President, "Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus," 85 Federal Register 15045-15048, March 16, 2020.

Executive Office of the President, "Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus," 85 Federal Register 31933-31936, May 28, 2020.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "CDC to Require Negative COVID-19 Test for Air Travelers from the United Kingdom to the U.S.," press release, December 24, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s1224-CDC-to-require-negative-test.html.

CDC, "CDC Expands Negative COVID-19 Test Requirement to All Air Passengers Entering the United States," press release, January 12, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0112-negative-covid-19-air-passengers.html.

Executive Office of the President, "Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease 2019," 86 Federal Register 24297-24300, May 6, 2021.

134 Stat. 470.

135 Stat. 96.

135 Stat. 93. Also see CRS Insight IN11712, The Economic Development Administration's American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Grant Programs, by Julie M. Lawhorn.

135 Stat. 93.

134 Stat. 1416.

135 Stat. 1418.

125 Stat. 1428.

Department of Transportation (DOT), National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan for FY 2020-2024, January 2021, https://www.transportation.gov/policy-initiatives/NTTISP.

135 Stat. 874-875.

As of the date of this report, the updated plan has not been published.

135 Stat. 875.

DOT, Oversight and Implementation of Travel and Tourism Legislation, June 13, 2023, https://www.transportation.gov/oversight-and-implementation-travel-and-tourism-legislation.

136 Stat. 5569.

DOC, Strategy, p. 3.

DOC, Strategy, pp. 5-6.

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, Table 7, "Employment by Industry, 2023," https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program. Direct tourism employees are engaged in the production of direct tourism output (for example, hotel workers and airline staff), while indirect tourism employees are engaged in the production of indirect tourism output (for example, workers producing hotel toiletries).

For example, see Tarik Dogru, Sean McGinley, Nathan Line et al., "Employee Earnings Growth in the Leisure and Hospitality Industry," Tourism Management, vol. 74 (October 2019).

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, Table 6, "Employment and Compensation of Employees by Industry, 2021," https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program.

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program.

BEA, Travel and Tourism, https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/travel-and-tourism.

BEA, "What Is Gross Output by Industry and How Does It Differ from Gross Domestic Product (or Value Added) by Industry?" https://www.bea.gov/help/faq/1197.

Hunter Arcand and Sarah Osborne, U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Account for 2018-2023, BEA, February 6, 2025, https://apps.bea.gov/scb/issues/2025/02-february/0225-travel-tourism-satellite-account.htm.

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, Table 4, "Output and Value Added by Industry, 2023," https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program; and Lisa S. Mataloni and Stephanie H. McCulla, The 2025 Annual Update of the National Economic Accounts, BEA, November 19, 2025, https://apps.bea.gov/scb/issues/2025/11-november/1125-nea-annual-update.htm.

For example, see OECD, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2022, August 12, 2022, p. 20, https://www.oecd.org/cfe/oecd-tourism-trends-and-policies-20767773.htm.

ITA, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account (TTSA) Program, Table 8, "Real Tourism Output, 2023," https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-satellite-account-ttsa-program.