With the Iranian crisis, global tourism is experiencing difficult times, with many destinations facing the prospect that the year 2026 may not be a great year in terms of visitor numbers. Among these destinations, there is one that has been on a downward trend for several months now and doesn’t seem to be stopping. As you may have guessed, it’s the United States, where the tourism sector is still declining.
9 months of decline and over $12.5 billion in lost revenue
We won’t go back to the deep crisis that the Trump-led America is experiencing and the reasons that have led and continue to lead to this situation. We all know them, from complicated entry formalities to the high cost of living on-site, not to mention the constant delirium of an incompetent and autocratic president giving a pitiful image of his country, to the point that many are considering boycotting the destination. It’s not surprising then that when taking stock, it’s clear that tourism in the USA is in bad shape.
By 2025, the United States will have been one of the very few countries in the world, along with Cuba (at least they have one thing in common), to have seen a decrease in the number of international tourists. 72.4 million in 2024 compared to 67.9 million last year, with double-digit percentage decreases for Europeans and especially Canadians, who traditionally make up the largest group of foreign visitors to the country.
This, of course, has financial and employment implications for the local tourism sector. Some estimate losses of over $12.5 billion for the past year due to a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months, Iranian crisis or not.
Even though domestic tourism is somewhat limiting the damage or some are hoping for the upcoming co-hosted World Cup in the country since June, it is now clear that the United States should permanently disappear from the top destinations in the world. A position that has been held for a long time behind France and Spain, but which could now be just a distant memory. And ultimately, whose fault is it?
