MADRID — The U.S. was still the largest travel and tourism market in the world in 2025 – but it’s losing market share, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) latest Economic Impact Research.

Some 80 million more people travelled internationally in 2025 compared with the year before, yet they chose other destinations. U.S. visitor numbers declined 5.5% against 2024 and international visitor spending fell 4.6% to US$176 billion.

While the U.S. continues to lead in scale, contributing US$2.63 trillion to global GDP, WTTC highlights that the country is now at a crossroads in its tourism development.

In 2025, the Travel & Tourism sector in the U.S. supported 20.4 million jobs, up 1.2% year-on-year, and added approximately 242,000 new jobs, a positive signal for both the sector and the wider economy. Domestic visitor spending remained strong at US$1.54 trillion, up 0.3% year-on-year and 14.3% above pre-pandemic levels.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, said: “The United States remains the largest Travel & Tourism market in the world and has an amazing foundation. To avoid losing its leadership position the U.S. must invest in promoting its attractiveness, both in international markets and during the summer of football; change perception and position the U.S. as a welcoming destination; and grow international visitor spend, encouraging stopovers and new experiences.”

WORLDWIDE TOURISM WAS A RECORD-BREAKER IN 2025

Looking at global tourism, WTTC’s Economic Impact Research also shows that 2025 was a record-breaker worldwide.

The sector’s global GDP contribution reached a historic US$11.6 trillion last year, accounting for 9.8% of the global economy. Travel and tourism grew by 4.1% in 2025, compared to overall global economic growth of 2.8%, outperforming it by nearly 50%. There were 1.54 billion international overnight arrivals in 2025, which is equivalent to 4.2 million people travelling every day.

The sector also played a major role in employment, supporting 366 million jobs worldwide, or 10.9% of total global employment. Notably, it accounted for one in three new jobs created globally.

“Despite the global challenges of 2025, the Travel & Tourism sector had its best year ever, which demonstrates its resilience,” said Guevara. “This exceptional performance underscores not only its economic strength, but its resilience and ability to outpace wider global growth.”