The United States’ long-term dominance as the world’s top travel and tourism market is increasingly shaky, according to a new report form the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Travel and tourism in the U.S. grew just 0.9 percent in terms of GDP in 2025, an outlier in a year that saw global GDP growth in the sector rise by a record 4.1 percent, according to the latest WTTC Economic Impact Research report.
Moreover, while 80 million more people traveled internationally last year, visitation to the U.S. dropped 5.5 percent between 2024 and 2025, and international visitor spending in the U.S. declined 4.6 percent year-over-year.
The findings suggests that the U.S. is losing vital travel and tourism market share, with the WTTC saying that the country is at a critical crossroads for reversing the downward trend.
While the United States remains the largest travel and tourism market in the world, “to avoid losing its leadership position the U.S. must invest in promoting its attractiveness, both in international markets and during the summer of football [with the arrival of the FIFA World Cup in North America]; change perception and position the U.S. as a welcoming destination; and grow international visitor spend, encouraging stopovers and new experiences,” said Gloria Guevara, president & CEO of WTTC, in a media statement.
According to the WTTC, the U.S. contributed $2.63 trillion to global GDP in 2025, and domestic travel spending totaled $1.54 trillion, up 0.3 percent over 2025. The 2025 FIFA World Cup is expected to bring 1.24 million international visitors to North America.
However, China is rapidly gaining ground on the U.S., contributing $1.75 trillion in travel and tourism GDP in 2025, which represents 9.9 percent year-over-year growth. As a region, Asia-Pacific’s travel and tourism GDP grew 8.2 percent in 2025, reaching $3.29 trillion.
The report was sponsored by Chase Travel Group.
