The US has long been the world’s top tourism destination, but China is on track to overtake it
The US has witnessed a notable drop in tourist numbers – and it’s being partly been blamed on stricter immigration controls and geopolitical tensions during President Donald Trump’s administration.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now just months away, it’s yet to be determined whether football supporters will help reverse the trend. The US has traditionally held the position as the world’s leading holiday destination, with visitors drawn to attractions such as Disney World and Times Square.
But China is now poised to overtake it as the globe’s foremost tourism economy within the next few years, according to Bloomberg news agency. China’s travel and tourism sector expanded by 9.9%, outpacing the US last year, reports the Mirror.
Gloria Guevara, President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Travel and Tourism Council, suggested that if both nations maintain comparable growth trajectories, China could claim the title of the world’s biggest tourism economy before the decade is out.
“While the US is shrinking, China is rising at a fast rate,” Guevara said in an interview. “If this continues, in three to four years it will close in on the US.”
The forthcoming FIFA World Cup, scheduled to begin in June, might offer the chance for a surge in US tourism. However, The Independent reported that the US tourism sector remains anxious.
Exchange rate fluctuations and policy positions from the Trump administration on issues including immigration have apparently put off travellers, particularly Canadians, who represent the single biggest source of overseas visitors to the US. Canadian visits to the US dropped by nearly 30% in 2025, with travel from Australia, India and Western Europe also declining significantly.
Residents of the border town of Lewiston, New York, depend heavily on their Canadian neighbours for tourism trade, with some locals telling the Guardian they had witnessed drops of as much as 30%.
One resident said: “I’m angry that the Canadians don’t want to come here any more. And I don’t blame them.
“I was thinking yesterday, I wish I didn’t live in this country, because I don’t like it anymore. I don’t like the news that I’m hearing. I don’t like the [Iran] war … It’s too much for me to handle.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to stage 75% of its matches across the US, and after a bruising year for American tourism, the industry is banking on the tournament to revive visitor numbers and boost revenue. While host nations traditionally enjoy an uplift from major sporting events, experts warn such benefits are frequently overstated.
Trump’s foreign policy stance, however, threatens to dampen those hopes. A new visa integrity fee of $250, combined with plans to screen some visitors’ social media accounts, has made travelling to the US considerably less appealing. Calls for a boycott of the US are growing in the wake of several Trump policies, with former FIFA President Sepp Blatter urging fans to avoid travelling there for the World Cup, which will also feature matches in Canada and Mexico.
Flight and hotel bookings did rise following the announcement of match dates and venues in December, but the tourism industry faces an anxious wait to see whether a meaningful recovery is achievable in 2026.
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