US Travel Executive's Message to Destinations: 'Don't Go Dark in Key Markets'

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:40 PM ET, Mon April 6, 2026

As international tourism to the United States continues its downward trajectory – a pattern that’s been unfolding for the past 12 to 14 months – many destination leaders, hotels and resorts are increasingly shifting their attention to wooing domestic travelers.

The U.S. hotel industry, for instance, has been on a bumpy ride since January 2025, largely due to declining international visitor numbers.

Data released by hotel analytics firm STR showed that hotel occupancy declined for the ninth consecutive month in November 2025, dropping 2.8% year over year to 57.9%. During the same time frame, Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) also slumped, dropping 2.3% to $88.97.

More recently, the National Travel and Tourism Office reported that international arrivals to the U.S. declined by 4.2% as of January 2026, marking the ninth straight month of a downward trajectory.

Faced with these developments, the industry’s pivot to domestic travelers has been largely essential. And in the case of hotels, that effort has included offering discounted hotel prices for local travelers, increasing inventory in the nation’s top domestic markets, offering more flexibility around short stays, stronger availability around long weekends, and fewer restrictions that don’t reflect current demand. Some hotel brands have even added drive-friendly benefits to rewards programs, according to experts who spoke with TravelPulse for recent stories.

Some destinations, meanwhile, have set their sights on regional travelers. That includes New York City, one of the top urban destinations nationwide. The Big Apple's strategic turn toward regional visitors in 2025 paid off handsomely. According to New York City Tourism + Conventions, the city welcomed 65 million visitors, and domestic travelers made up 52.4% of the total. That figure amounted to a 1.7% increase in local visitation over 2024 and translated into an $84.7 billion economic impact.

Tyler Gosnell, managing director of international inbound travel for the U.S. Travel Association, has watched the shifting landscape and suggests the current, intense focus on domestic consumers may not prove beneficial over the long term. During a recent interview with TravelPulse, he explained why.

The Case for Staying the Course Internationally

The softening of international arrivals to the United States is indeed real, begins Gosnell, pointing out that the United States is the only country in the world to have experienced an inbound decline last year. Many popular U.S. destinations have made headlines as they've struggled with waning visitation from abroad. (Las Vegas recently reported the worst annual decline in visitors since the pandemic began.)

However, Gosnell suggests that it remains critically important for destinations and brands to nevertheless stay invested internationally, continuing international sales, marketing and media placement efforts in source destinations.

“You can’t go dark in key markets and expect to pick up where you left off,” Gosnell told TravelPulse, explaining that demand and distribution take time to rebuild.

“When you pull out of an international source market—cancel marketing and media programs, remove sales presence, close representation offices in market—it can take 12 to 24 months to rebuild demand. The cost of re-entry is far greater than the cost of maintaining presence,” explained Gosnell.

There’s also something of a shifting return over time when it comes to domestic visitors, Gosnell explained.

“Domestic travel is incredibly important and continues to deliver strong returns. At the same time, as more destinations and travel companies concentrate their efforts there, capturing that demand can become more competitive and the return on incremental investment isn’t always guaranteed,” Gosnell continued.

International visitors, however, especially those from overseas, remain high-value travelers who stay longer and spend significantly more per trip. And for this reason, Gosnell says it’s critical that marketers don’t step away from a segment that delivers outsized economic impact.

Moreover, added Gosnell, not all international source markets are experiencing declining interest in the United States. Yes, some traditional source markets are indeed soft, he admits, but others, such as Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, are actually showing real growth.

Last year’s arrival statistics from Latin American (LATAM) countries that were among the top 20 international source markets for the United States bear this out.

Mexico, total U.S. arrivals in 2025: 17,980,030, +6.4%
Argentina total U.S. arrivals in 2025: 789,942, +15%
Colombia total U.S. arrivals in 2025: 1,119,998, +4.8

With these numbers in mind, Gosnell suggests it's important for U.S. destination marketers to "be strategic about market investment diversification." The strong growth in visitors from South America represents a meaningful opportunity for U.S. destinations and travel companies to attract more travelers.

Further underscoring Gosnell's point about LATAM interest in the United States, this year’s IPW gathering (a travel trade show organized by the U.S. Travel Association) is on track to host one of the largest South American delegations to date.

Translation: U.S. destinations have a prime opportunity at IPW to engage new source markets and attract their travelers

The Elephant in the Room

It’s no secret that Trump Administration policies, actions and rhetoric have dampened enthusiasm among would-be international visitors. The slump in international visitation that's being witnessed across the country is a direct reflection of that.

A number of countries have issued advisories surrounding travel to the United States. That includes Canada and several European nations. Most recently, Germany issued new, heightened guidance for its citizens regarding travel to the United States in response to the violence in Minneapolis, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials killed two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

New visitor fees proposed by the Trump Administration, such as the $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ announced in 2025 (this fee has not yet been implemented and it's unclear when it might take effect) and this year’s increased $100 surcharge at national parks for non-U.S. residents, are not helping matters.

Similarly, talk of increased scrutiny of foreign tourists, including a proposal to look at five years of visitors’ social media history, is not a policy that appears welcoming to travelers from international source markets.

Gosnell suggests domestic destination leaders can play a role here too, helping to contrast rhetoric and ‘perception' with reality on the ground. Perception is a major barrier for many international visitors right now, he admits.

“Newly rolled out policies like the $250 visa integrity fee and proposed social media requirements haven’t been implemented, but travelers and the global travel trade are reacting as if they have,” says Gosnell.

“Destinations have a role to play in correcting the record—sharing facts, reinforcing the reality of the visitor experience, and using platforms like IPW to demonstrate that the U.S. wants, needs, and welcomes international visitors.”

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