Brand USA says interest in travel to U.S. is improving
In 2023 and 2024, the survey found that among those who were likely to travel internationally in the next 12 months, 29% said they would like to go to the U.S. This year, that intent dipped from 28% in January to 23% in April. But more recently, "we're seeing early signs of stabilization," said Chelsea Benitez, Brand USA's director of consumer research. The survey is fielded in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the U.K.
Speaking during the marketing organization's mid-July board meeting, Benitez said intent "ticked up slightly in May and again in June, reaching 25%, a modest but meaningful improvement.
'Positive momentum'
"While we're still not back to 2024 average levels, this recent lift suggests positive momentum as we head into the back half of 2025 despite some of that softening in overall intent," she said.
In its first board meeting since learning it would lose 80% of its federal funding in the 2026 fiscal budget, Brand USA also reported that inbound visitation projections from Tourism Economics are up slightly.
"After a sharp downward revision earlier this year, the forecast has inched upward, with nearly 1 million visitors added back into the forecast between March and June of this year, a positive sign of stabilizing expectations in 2025," Benitez said.
Overseas visitation through June was down 1.2% year over year, to 15.9 million overseas visitors, but in the top 20 markets, it fell only 0.3%, "signaling continued resilience," she said. And while Tourism Economics projects 66.5 million international visitors in 2025, an 8% decline from 2024 driven mostly by a 20% dip forecast from Canada, it's a dip that is expected to be short lived, with growth forecast to resume in 2026 and continue in 2027.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of BRAND USA
Leah Chandler, Brand USA's chief marketing officer, said that the organization's strategy and new campaign, America the Beautiful, acknowledges the challenges of the moment.
"So what's our assignment? At this moment, the U.S. travel industry needs a rallying cry," she said. "We know that international audiences still love many things about the U.S. and are connected to the people through our culture and our stories. And while right now might not feel like it's the right time for some, there are others who have the means and desire to visit the United States, and those people will prioritize a visit here.
"We are asking a lot from this new campaign. It must drive direct economic impact and entice high value travelers. It needs to transcend the media clutter, and you'll see that we're using Americana and nostalgia as themes to inspire. And of course, it must leverage the world's most iconic events that are going to be taking place across the US in the coming years."
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