by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:40 AM ET, Mon January 12, 2026
Data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) shows that the annual decrease in international visitors to the U.S. was a year-long trend, with new insight into December, 2025.
U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements, or the number of travelers taking international flights to and from the U.S., dropped 0.1 percent in December, at 23.2 million.
Non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrival dropped 2.9 percent, following the annual trend of less international visitors than last year. The total was 5.3 million international visitors. Year-to-date, total overseas visitation was down 2.5 percent from 2024.
Total air passenger travel between the U.S. and other countries were dominated by Mexico, which decreased 0.1 percent; Canada, which decreased 11.9 percent; the United Kingdom, which decreased 5.6 percent; the Dominican Republic, which increased 6.8 percent and Japan, which increased 8.9 percent. These numbers include U.S. travelers and international visitors to the U.S.
We’ve covered several reasons why the U.S. has welcomed less international visitors in 2025. Some major reasons include more restrictive visa and entry requirements and fees, fears surrounding personal safety and the Canadian boycott of the U.S.
Yet Americans aren’t slowing down in heading abroad: departures by Americans heading abroad in December totaled 6.9 million, up 3.2 percent from last December, and exceeding the December 2019 volume by over 30 percent.
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