Foreign tourism to the US fell by 4 million visitors in 2025, costing the economy more than $8 billion.
Presidential rhetoric and policy confusion drove the steepest decline in two decades outside of the pandemic.
Experts warn the drop weakens America's soft power as the world absorbs a narrative of dysfunction rather than democratic leadership.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
There’s no sugarcoating it. The complete 2025 data is in, and the message is clear: International visitors stayed away from the US in the first real year-over-year decline since the Covid-19 pandemic. The drop in visitors was larger than during the global recession of 2008.
