Australians have shown a sudden surge in interest in travelling to the United States this month – a bright spot in a tough year for the country’s tourism industry.Aussie travellers have been turning away from America with the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing outbound travel to the US fell 5.5 per cent for the year to March 2026 – the only destination in Australians’ top 10 most visited countries to see a decline.Meanwhile, the overall number of Australians travelling overseas remains strong and Asian destinations like Japan, Vietnam and China are booming.The US travel industry has been fighting to keep Aussies coming back as numbers decline and there is talk of proposed changes to the ESTA application, which could make it mandatory for Australian tourists to disclose five years of social media history.US Travel Association president and chief executive Geoff Freeman told news.com.au in an exclusive interview last week perception was the problem hurting US tourism, insisting to Australians that “America wants you here”.“The policies most have heard about have not actually been implemented and data shows border incidents remain rare, yet high-profile stories can quickly shape what millions of potential travellers believe,” he said.Incidents spooking Aussies include travellers being denied entry (and at times, strip searched and thrown in prison). The more intense airport checks have involved inspections of emails, text messages or social media accounts. The latest high-profile case in Australia was musician Keli Holiday being denied entry back into the US during his North American tour.But it appears things are looking up for US tourism in June and July.News.com.au can reveal about 65,000 Australians are booked to travel to the US and Canada on Qantas in June and July, an increase of about 13 per cent compared to the same period last year. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 and runs until July 19. It is jointly hosted by 11 cities in the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico. Expedia data obtained by news.com.au showed accommodation searches for travel between June 11 and 27 to US cities hosting the World Cup this year had surged compared to the same period in 2025.Dallas searches were up 385 per cent, Seattle up 305 per cent, Atlanta up 295 per cent, Boston up 175 per cent, Houston up 140 per cent, San Francisco up 130 per cent, Miami up 120 per cent, Philadelphia up 75 per cent, Los Angeles up 25 per cent and New York up 10 per cent.Expedia’s Australian senior director Darren Karshagen explained global sporting events tend to attract “high-value travellers who stay longer and spend more” in both the cities hosting the events and surrounding regions, which also means a boost for tourism beyond the actual event.“We’re increasingly seeing sports tourism no longer just about flying in for a match and heading straight home, fans are maximising their trip and making the most of the time and cost involved,” he said.“Given the distance we have to travel, Aussie travellers bat above the global averagewhen it comes to turning sporting events into extended, multi-stop holidays.”According to an Expedia survey conducted early last year three in five sports travellers spend part of their trip outside the host city altogether.“Going into July, Expedia data shows this sporting trend in action, with a broaderinterest in the US,” Mr Karshagen said. “Nearby destinations close to the host cities like Nashville (up 100 per cent), Austin (up 40 per cent) and San Diego (up 10 per cent) are all seeing uplift in interest during and after the tournament.”Booking.com also told news.com.au that after tickets went on sale in December, search interest from Australia for host cities soared.Houston, which will host seven matches, climbed 43 places in the travel platform’s ranking of most searched cities in North America from 70th to 27th place. Boston, also set to host seven matches, rose 20 places from 23rd to third place. (Even on Booking.com’s global ranking of most popular cities, Boston skyrocketed 228 places to rank 21 worldwide after tickets were released.)Rhode Island’s capital Providence isn’t an official World Cup host but it is capitalising on its proximity to Boston Stadium (also known as Gillette Stadium), because it’s actually closer than downtown Boston. That city climbed a whopping 383 places from 409th to 26th most popular in North America.Mexico’s Mexico City, hosting five matches, jumped 18 places to 10th, and Guadalajara, hosting four matches, soared 119 places to 16th.While the official matches in Canada are hosted in Toronto and Vancouver, an already popular city for Aussie tourists, nearby city Richmond, which is heavily participating in the festivities, was up 138 places to 30th most popular. It is also the home of Vancouver International Airport.Brand USA, which promotes international tourism to the US, and Los Angeles Tourism, which relies on Australian visitors as its second biggest international source market, both highlighted the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a key opportunity to lure in visitors this year when news.com.au asked about the state of things last month.Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board chief executive Adam Burke told news.com.au he wants visitors to know that everyone is welcome in their city.“As one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive communities that is home to people from over 140 countries, we pride ourselves on the warm welcome that makes visitors feel instantly at home,” he said.“This is especially important with the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup is the largest single-sport event in history. Los Angeles will host eight matches and has developed an extensive 39-day activity calendar so football fans can make the most of their time here.”That includes the official World Cup matches as well as fan celebrations and watch parties.Increased interest in travel to the US may also be due to Aussie travellers steering clear of the Middle East and flying to Europe via America.Los Angeles is one of the cities hoping to benefit.“We have heard from trade partners that demand for airline bookings from Australia to Europe via LAX are increasing in popularity due to travellers choosing to avoid the Middle East, so we will continue to explore ways to encourage stopovers,” Mr Burke said.The official travel figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics that show where residents have travelled in June will not be available until August.