Trump Meets Travel Executives to Reverse Foreign Visitor Decline

President Trump met with executives from major travel companies including American Airlines, Marriott, and MGM Resorts on Tuesday to discuss reversing the decline in foreign visitors to the United States. Despite a boost from this summer's World Cup, which drove June travel spending to a one-year high of $122.1 billion, Commerce Department data shows foreign arrivals fell 4.7% in the year through July. Industry officials cite long visa wait times, high airfares, strict immigration policies, tariffs, and travel restrictions as key factors. Canadian arrivals dropped 20% last year due to tariffs and annexation rhetoric, hurting border-state tourism. Travel Association head Geoff Freeman aims for 100 million annual visitors, noting France leads with 102 million in 2025 versus the US's 68 million, and criticized a visa bond program for cutting arrivals from affected countries by 80%.