The United States travel industry has set an ambitious target of attracting 100 million international visitors annually by 2030, even as inbound tourism continues to decline amid what industry leaders and analysts have described as the “Trump slump.”
According to Forbes, the target was presented during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and senior travel industry executives at the White House. The group included leaders from major airlines, hotel companies, cruise operators, casinos and travel organisations, including American Airlines, Marriott, Hilton, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotels, Booking.com, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International and Carnival Corporation.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, achieving 100 million annual international visitors could generate an additional $81 billion in visitor spending and support more than 400,000 jobs across the U.S. economy. However, the ambitious goal comes against a backdrop of weakening international arrivals. The U.S. received 68.3 million international visitors in 2025, down 5.5% from 72.3 million in 2024. Arrivals continued to fall in 2026, with international visitors between January and July down 4.7% compared with the same period in 2025. The decline has raised concerns within the American tourism industry, particularly because the U.S. was one of the few major destinations to record a significant fall in international tourism while global travel continued to expand.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, had been viewed as a major opportunity to reverse the downward trend and attract millions of international visitors. A FIFA analysis had projected that the tournament could inject $30.5 billion into the U.S. economy, partly based on expectations that international fans would spend substantially more per person than domestic visitors. However, the anticipated surge in foreign arrivals did not materialise. The U.S. recorded approximately 400,000 fewer international arrivals in June 2026 compared with June 2025, while July arrivals fell another 3% year-on-year. Hotels in World Cup host cities also failed to see the anticipated increase in occupancy and room demand, according to CoStar data cited by Forbes.
The tourism slowdown has been linked to concerns over U.S. immigration policies, entry requirements and rhetoric that may be discouraging some international travellers. A Pew Research Center survey of more than 42,000 people across 36 countries found that 57% held an unfavorable view of the United States, while 76% expressed no confidence in Trump as a leader. The challenge extends beyond visitor numbers. International tourists are particularly valuable to the U.S. economy because they tend to spend considerably more than domestic travellers.
Recent changes to national park fees have also raised concerns. Foreign visitors now face substantially higher charges at some U.S. national parks, while the revenue generated from the increases has fallen well short of government projections. For the U.S. travel industry, reaching 100 million international visitors by 2030 will therefore require more than simply increasing airline capacity or marketing destinations. Reversing the current decline will depend on restoring international confidence, maintaining the country’s attractiveness as a destination and making it easier and more welcoming for foreign visitors to enter and travel across the United States.
