US REMAINS THE LARGEST TRAVEL AND TOURISM MARKET IN THE WORLD, BUT WTTC WARNS THE COUNTRY IS AT A CROSSPOINT | News
The United States remained the world’s largest travel and tourism market in 2025, but is losing market share according to the latest Economic Impact Research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), sponsored by principal research partner Chase Travel.
While 2025 was the best year ever for the travel and tourism sector in terms of GDP growth of 4.1%, the story was very different for North America, the slowest growing region in the world, with an increase of just 1.0%, and with just 0.9% in the US.
In 2025, 80 million more people traveled internationally than the year before, but they still chose other destinations. U.S. visitor numbers fell 5.5% from 2024 and international visitor spending fell 4.6% to $176 billion.
While the US remains the leader in size, contributing $2.63 trillion to global GDP, WTTC highlights that the country is now at a crossroads in its tourism development. With the right actions, it has a significant opportunity to restore international visitor spending, support job creation and strengthen its global leadership – especially as competition increases from rapidly rising Asia-Pacific markets such as China.
In 2025, the U.S. travel and tourism industry supported 20.4 million jobs, up 1.2% year over year, and added approximately 242,000 new jobs, a positive signal for both the industry and the broader economy. Domestic visitor spending remained strong at $1.54 trillion, up 0.3% year over year and 14.3% above pre-pandemic levels.
Sustaining this momentum will depend on increasing U.S. investment and promotion, rebuilding international demand, changing perceptions, and ensuring the U.S. remains competitive as a global destination.
With the country set to co-host major football events in 2026, WTTC highlights an important and immediate opportunity. The event is expected to bring in approximately 1.24 million people
international visitors* during the tournament period, providing a powerful platform to showcase the American experience and convert visitors into promoters of travel to the country.
China, the world’s second largest market, is rapidly gaining ground. Travel and tourism will contribute $1.75 trillion to GDP in 2025, growing 9.9% year-on-year and supporting 84.6 million jobs (+2.0%). Both international visitor spending (up 10.5% to $135 billion) and domestic spending (up 10.7% to $890 billion) showed a strong increase.
This momentum reflects the broader strength of Asia Pacific, now the fastest growing travel and tourism region globally. The region’s GDP grew by 8.2% to $3.29 trillion in 2025, with several markets outperforming the global average, led by Malaysia (11.2%) and the Philippines (10.8%), followed by China (9.9%), India (7.3%) and Indonesia (7.2%).
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC, said:
“The United States remains the largest travel and tourism market in the world and has a great foundation. To avoid losing its leadership position, the United States must invest in boosting its attractiveness, both in international markets and during the football summer; change perceptions and position the US as a welcoming destination; and grow international visitor spending, by encouraging stopovers and new experiences.”
Jason Wynn, CEO of Chase Travel, said:
“As WTTC’s latest research shows, the U.S. travel and tourism sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, supporting millions of jobs and driving trillions of dollars in economic growth, even in times of global headwinds. With the U.S. poised to host a series of global events in 2028, we have an extraordinary opportunity to welcome new visitors and bring travelers from around the world closer together, fostering meaningful connections between countries and communities.
“At Chase Travel, we want to be the partner and provider for both domestic and international travel, leveraging our world-class marketplace to empower travelers, advisors and partners to take every trip to the next level and drive sustainable growth for the industry.”
WTTC will continue to work with governments and industry leaders to support sustainable growth in the travel and tourism sector, strengthen competitiveness and ensure the sector remains a driver of jobs, investment and economic opportunity.
Chase Travel remains committed to making travel more accessible and rewarding for cardholders by connecting them to trusted partners, seamless bookings and support, and the experiences that matter most.
*Source: Oxford Economics
