Fewer people chose us
The rest of the world kept traveling in 2025.
Eighty million more people took international trips.
But visits to the United States fell 5.5%.
International visitor spending in the U.S. dropped 4.6% to $176 billion.
Meanwhile, the global tourism industry had its best year ever, contributing a record $11.6 trillion to the global economy.
The world moved forward.
America went backward.
What in the flipping hell is that?
This Is Not Just About Vacations
Tourism means jobs.
It means hotel rooms, restaurant meals, museum tickets, local shops, rental cars, and money flowing into communities across the country.
International travelers spend more, stay longer, and support businesses across the United States.
When fewer people visit, American workers and small businesses pay the price.
Hostility Is Not a Tourism Strategy
Travelers have choices.
They can spend their money somewhere that feels safer, calmer, and more welcoming.
You cannot spend years treating outsiders like enemies and then act shocked when fewer people show up with suitcases and credit cards.
That is not “America First.”
That is self-sabotage wrapped in a flag.
The world kept traveling.
Fewer people chose us.
Maybe it is time to ask why.
Scarlett says no.