Tourists Are Staying Away from the U.S. in Droves

With the World Cup approaching and the country's 250th anniversary also on tap this summer, 2026 was supposed to be a banner year for tourism in the U.S. But that's not how things are shaping up.

The U.S. was hoping for a huge summer of tourists in 2026. It isn’t likely to turn out that way. (Photo: Al Drago / Getty Images)

By Katharina Kort in New York

Gloria Guevara is on an urgent mission: The president of the influential World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is preparing to speak with representatives of the U.S. government about the state of tourism. And tourism is not in particularly good shape at the moment, as the latest study on Guevara’s laptop demonstrates. It is a study she is planning to present the next morning in Washington, D.C.