- Travel CEOs meet with Trump.
- USTA sets goal of 100 million visitors.
- International arrivals fell 5.5 percent in 2025.
“The next goal should be 100 million international visitors a year by 2030, striving to make the U.S. the most visited country in the world. Getting to 100 million would result in $81 billion in additional spending and more than 400,000 American jobs,” Freeman said.
The White House outlined measures to ease airport screening, including changes to shoe screening and new family screening lanes at some airports. The administration also plans to expand biometric lanes for returning U.S. citizens and speed up connections between international and domestic flights.
The U.S. travel industry faced several challenges over the past year, including government shutdowns that disrupted airport security and flights, according to Reuters.
International arrivals to the U.S. fell 5.5 percent in 2025, with travel officials citing long visa interview wait times, higher airfares, stricter immigration policies, tariffs and travel restrictions on some countries. Overseas visitors fell another 4.7 percent through July, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Visitors from Canada dropped 20 percent in 2025, affecting destinations such as Las Vegas and several border states. Las Vegas tourism fell 7.5 percent during the year.
Freeman said the World Cup, America250 and strong summer travel showed the potential to grow U.S. tourism.
Despite these challenges, the FIFA World Cup gave U.S. tourism a boost this summer. Travel spending rose 6.2 percent year over year in June to $122.1 billion, the highest monthly level in a year. FIFA also reported record attendance at this summer’s tournament.
The meeting brought together executives from American Airlines, Marriott International, MGM Resorts and Carnival, along with Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Venetian and Raffles & Fairmont.
Separately, New York City’s hotel industry urged the U.S. government to resolve the Canada trade dispute.
