WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 7, 2026) — U.S. Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued the following statement after meeting with President Trump and travel industry CEOs at the White House:
“We had a productive meeting with President Trump about the opportunity ahead for the U.S. travel economy. President Trump already holds the record for international visitation to the United States—nearly 80 million visitors in 2018. Now we have an opportunity to build on the momentum from a successful World Cup—and go much bigger.
“The World Cup, America250 and a strong summer of travel showed what’s possible when we get travel right. The next goal should be 100 million international visitors a year by 2030—striving to make the United States the most visited country in the world.
“Getting to 100 million would result in $81 billion in additional spending, more than 400,000 American jobs and millions more people coming here, experiencing America for themselves and telling their friends and family that they should do the same. The American people are the best ambassadors we have. Let’s give them the opportunity to show our great country off. Our industry is ready to work with the president and his administration to build on today’s momentum.”
REUTERS EXPANDS ON THE DETAILS OF THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING
U.S. President Donald Trump met with major travel company executives including representatives from American Airlines, Marriott, MGM Resorts and Carnival to discuss ways to reverse a decline in international visitors. U.S. tourism got a big but temporary boost from the FIFA World Cup this summer. Travel spending rose 6.2% year over year in June to $122.1 billion, its strongest monthly reading in a year and FIFA reported its best-ever attendance at this summer’s tournament.
Trump said FIFA was a big economic boost to U.S. host cities. “The American skies were loaded up with planes and loaded up with a lot of happy people,” Trump said. U.S. Travel Association President Geoff Freeman said the group wants to boost foreign visitors to 100 million annually. This would be a sharp increase from 68 million in 2025, which was down 5.5% from 2024. Even with the bump from the World Cup in June, overseas visitors are down another 4.7% through July 2026, the Commerce Department said.
“Let’s make the U.S. the world’s most visited destination. That’s France today,” Freeman said. France had a record 102 million foreign tourists in 2025, including 5 million Americans, which was up 17% over 2024. International arrivals to the U.S. have declined, with travel officials citing a number of factors including lengthy visa interview wait times; higher airline ticket prices; stricter immigration policies; tariffs; and U.S. travel restrictions for some countries.
One concern of industry groups is the Trump administration’s imposition of bonds for visitors from 50 countries, which has resulted in an 80% decline in arrivals from those countries, Freeman said. “We cannot get to 100 million travelers with a bond program that would discourage travelers,” Freeman told reporters. Visitors from Canada fell 20% last year as Canadians objected to Trump’s tariffs and his calls for annexing their country. This hit U.S. tourism destinations like Las Vegas and border states. The number of Las Vegas tourists fell by 7.5% in 2025.
Trump’s meeting included the CEOs of Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Venetian and Raffles & Fairmont. The White House noted it has made airport screening easier, allowing passengers to keep shoes on and adding family screening lanes at some airports. It also aims to create more biometric fast lanes for returning U.S. citizens and quicker international connections to domestic flights.
The industry faced a number of hurdles over the last year as partial government shutdowns snarled airport security lines and flights. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in May threatened to halt border processing at Newark and potentially other airports in so-called “sanctuary cities.” Travel groups warned that this could lead to chaos, strand thousands of tourists and Americans trying to get home, and prevent crucial cargo shipments. Freeman said it appeared DHS has moved away from the idea.
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U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing the $1.3 trillion travel industry, an essential contributor to our nation’s economy and success. U.S. Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for more information.
