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Trump discusses US tourism decline with travel industry leaders
🇩🇰 Denmark /Economy & Trade

Trump discusses US tourism decline with travel industry leaders

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • President Donald Trump met executives from major airlines, hotel groups and cruise companies to discuss the decline in international visitors to the United States.
  • Travel spending rose 6.2% year on year in June to $122.1 billion, helped by the FIFA World Cup, but visitor numbers fell again in July.
  • The U.S. Travel Association is seeking 100 million foreign visitors a year, up from 68 million in 2025, as industry groups cite visa delays, higher airfares and stricter immigration policies among possible factors in the decline.

Donald Trump met leaders from major travel companies on Wednesday to discuss how the United States can reverse a decline in international tourism. Representatives of American Airlines, Marriott, MGM Resorts and Carnival attended the meeting.

The country’s tourism industry received a major but temporary boost from the FIFA World Cup this summer. Travel spending in the United States rose 6.2% in June compared with the same month in 2025, reaching $122.1 billion. FIFA also reported the highest attendance ever recorded at a summer tournament.

Trump said the tournament gave U.S. host cities a major economic lift. “The American airspace was filled with planes and a lot of happy people,” he said. Visitor numbers fell again in July, however, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

The American airspace was filled with planes and a lot of happy people.

— Donald TrumpTrump described the FIFA World Cup’s impact on U.S. host cities.

Geoff Freeman, head of the U.S. Travel Association, said the organization wants to increase annual foreign arrivals to 100 million. The United States received 68 million visitors in 2025, a 5.5% decline from 2024. France recorded 102 million foreign tourists in 2025, including five million Americans, an increase of 17% from the previous year.

The U.S. travel industry has pointed to long waits for visa interviews, higher airfares, stricter immigration policies, increased tariffs and travel restrictions affecting some countries. Visitors from Canada fell by 20% last year, while Canadians criticized Trump’s new tariffs and his calls to annex their neighboring country. Las Vegas saw tourist numbers fall 7.5% in 2025.

Let us make the United States the world’s most visited destination. France is today.

— Geoff FreemanThe U.S. Travel Association chief called for a sharp increase in foreign visitors.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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