America’s inbound travel numbers have delivered a curious two-speed result: the front door is busier, but the long-haul lounge has gone quieter.
New data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show international arrivals reached 5.76 million in May 2026, up 2.3 per cent on May last year. Yet the headline hides a tougher result for the global travel trade. Overseas visitation excluding Canada and Mexico fell 6.5 per cent to 2.77 million.
Overseas arrivals tell a different story
The growth came from close to home. Mexico sent 1.66 million visitors, a hefty 21 per cent increase. Canada contributed 1.33 million, up 2.7 per cent. The United Kingdom, India and Brazil completed the five largest source markets. Together, those five accounted for 66 per cent of all international arrivals in May.
For airlines, tour operators, hotels and destination marketers, that split matters. A rise in total arrivals is welcome. But a fall in overseas traffic can hit long-haul aviation and longer itineraries harder. In travel, as in accounting, not every plus sign tells the whole story.
The latest figures arrive alongside NTTO’s 12 market profiles for overseas visitors in calendar year 2025. They are based on its Survey of International Air Travellers. The profiles show what visitors did after clearing immigration, from business travel and fine dining to theme parks, national parks, shopping and car rental.
Parks, business and theme parks
National parks remain one of America’s great international drawcards. Overseas visits to U.S. national parks and monuments in 2025 totalled 1.7 million, led by the United Kingdom. France followed with 918,000, Germany with 895,000, Brazil with 721,000 and India with 546,000.
Business travel remained fond of the big gateways. New York City attracted 892,000 overseas business travellers, well ahead of Los Angeles, which attracted 485,000. San Francisco recorded 374,000, Miami 372,000 and Las Vegas 275,000. The city that never sleeps, it seems, still finds time for a meeting.
Latin American travellers also showed a strong appetite for amusement and theme parks. Sixty-one per cent of Brazilian visitors included one during their U.S. trip. Colombia followed at 53 per cent. Ecuador and Costa Rica each recorded 49 per cent, with Chile at 47 per cent.
Food and the open road
Food was hardly an afterthought. Of the 8.2 million overseas visitors who experienced fine dining, 2.2 million did so in New York. Miami followed with 1.2 million, Los Angeles with one million, Orlando with 789,000 and San Francisco with 722,000. For destination marketers, the lesson is clear. America is sold by the plate as well as the postcard.
The open road remains another powerful part of the U.S. travel offer. Among 9.4 million overseas visitors who rented cars, 87 per cent shopped. Another 41 per cent visited national parks or monuments, 38 per cent explored small towns, 37 per cent went to amusement or theme parks and 31 per cent visited historic locations.
Outbound America keeps moving
Outbound America is travelling strongly as well. U.S. citizen international departures reached 9.87 million in May, up 4.2 per cent year on year. Mexico alone received 3.35 million U.S. travellers. Europe accounted for 2.59 million departures, up 2.2 per cent.
For the international travel industry, the message is mixed but useful. America still has enormous breadth. Cities, parks, food, family attractions and road trips all have strong overseas appeal. But the 6.5 per cent fall in overseas arrivals in May is a warning light. It should not be hidden behind the healthier total-arrivals figure.
Data points to the next opportunity
The opportunity now is to turn data into demand. Airlines need viable long-haul capacity. Destinations need sharper market-by-market campaigns. The trade needs products tailored to what visitors choose.
America has no shortage of things to sell. The challenge, as ever, is persuading the world to book them.
By: Jason Smith – © 2026.
Read Time: 3 minutes.
Author Bio:
Jason Smith didn’t learn travel from textbooks. He learned it in airports, taxis and hotel lobbies, watching the business unfold long before he played his own part. Half American, half Asian, he grew up around the quiet workings of tourism, where people come and go, and stories rarely stand still.
Bangkok came first, then formal study, then a career that carried him through Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Each place left something behind. In the end, Thailand felt like home, and I took on a senior role in hotel sales.
Then everything stopped. Borders shut, planes grounded, and Jason found himself back in America with time to reflect.
Now at Global Travel Media, he writes travel as it really is, not polished, not perfect, but human, and all the better for it.
