The decline in overseas tourism to the U.S. cannot be explained away as a Canadian boycott. While global tourism is 4% up this year (1.5 billion visits), the most recent figures (August, 2026) show a large decline in U.S. visitors.
The U.S. has been experiencing a decline in overseas arrivals (thus excluding the Mexican and Canadian borders). Overseas arrivals, January–August 2026, were 21.41 million, down 5.8%. August alone was down 11.8%.
But worldwide tourism is up. In the first quarter of 2026, arrivals increased 2%, with Europe up 4% and Asia-Pacific up 3%.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), international arrivals to the United States in 2025 decreased 5.5% from 2024. With the exception of a blip due to the World Cup, the downward trend has worsened in 2026.
Per this report, U.S. Travel Association president Geoff Freeman said this month that the U.S. was on pace to receive approximately two million fewer overseas visitors this year than last, leaving visitation roughly 20% below its 2019 peak,