America's international visitor numbers are still heading the wrong way. Fresh data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) shows overseas arrivals to the US — excluding Canada and Mexico — fell 5.7 per cent year on year by the end of September, extending a slump that began well before this autumn.
Western Europe, traditionally the biggest overseas market for the US, has been hit hardest: arrivals from the region are down 8.7 per cent so far in 2026. Brits are still the most numerous Western European visitors — 352,084 of the 2.7 million overseas arrivals recorded in September — but the overall trend is unmistakably downward.
The bigger picture is bleak. Roughly four million fewer foreign visitors entered the US in 2025 than in 2024, with total visitor spending falling by more than $8bn (about £5.95bn). Overall arrivals slipped from over 72 million in 2024 to just over 68 million in 2025 — the first post-Covid year to see a decline. Even the Fifa World Cup couldn't turn things around for long. June's tournament did lift arrivals 2.7 per cent versus June 2025, to 5.4 million, but by September the slide had resumed. NTTO had forecast a 3.2 per cent rise in total international arrivals for 2026, to 70.5 million, partly on the back of the football — a forecast now under pressure.
For context, the US still hasn't recovered to pre-pandemic levels of more than 79 million annual visitors. And the industry's own lobby is worried: back in April the World Travel & Tourism Council described the country as being 'at a crossroads', with WTTC chief Gloria Guevara urging the US to invest in promotion abroad, reposition itself as a welcoming destination, and grow international visitor spend through stopovers and new experiences.
Why should travellers care? Fewer crowds is the obvious upside — queues at major attractions, national parks and city hotels are thinner than in recent peak years, and there may be deals to be had on accommodation in gateway cities as hotels chase softening demand. But it's also a signal of how perceptions of the US as a destination have shifted, and anyone planning a trip may find entry procedures and travel sentiment worth checking carefully before booking. For now, if you've been putting off a US trip, the quieter airports and attractions are a genuine silver lining.
