In 2025, something chilling is happening across the United States—and most Americans don’t even realize it.
The tourists are gone.
Not just a few. Millions.
From the buzz of Times Square to the spectacle of the Las Vegas Strip, from Disney’s fantasy lands to the majesty of the Grand Canyon, international visitors are quietly vanishing. Airports are quieter. Hotels are half-empty. Iconic landmarks that once overflowed with selfie sticks and languages from across the globe now feel eerily still.
According to the US Travel Association, international tourism to the U.S. is down nearly 20% year-over-year. Major nations—Canada, Germany, France, Australia—are backing away. In 2024, international travelers poured over $210 billion into the American economy. This year, that number is collapsing by tens of billions.
But this isn’t just about empty hotel rooms or shorter airport lines. This is an economic shockwave. A cultural fracture. A geopolitical crisis hidden behind shuttered souvenir shops and canceled bookings.
The world isn’t boycotting America with protests or sanctions.
It’s doing something far more unsettling.
It’s quietly walking away.
A Chain Reaction: Companies in Freefall
Tourism is not a standalone industry—it’s a lifeline for transportation, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and more. And in 2025, that entire ecosystem is unraveling. Counting from 10 to 1 Here’s how some of the biggest players are being dragged down.
10. Airbnb: From Disruption to Desperation
Airbnb, once the shining symbol of global travel freedom, is facing a stunning reversal. International bookings in New York, LA, and Miami have dropped over 35%. Hosts are abandoning the platform. Guests are complaining about fees, safety, and cancellations. And most troubling—travelers no longer feel welcome in American neighborhoods. The result? A brand slowly losing both relevance and trust.
9. Simon Property Group: Malls Without Shoppers
Simon, the country’s largest mall operator, is collapsing under the weight of empty corridors. Luxury shopping destinations that relied on international visitors are now seeing foot traffic drop by nearly 30%. Brands are pulling out. Leasing is slowing. Without tourists, American malls may not survive the next decade.
8. Uber: Fewer Trips, Shrinking Demand
In major cities, Uber drivers report fewer airport runs, fewer hotel pickups, and thinner weekend traffic. Tourists once made up a huge chunk of demand. Now, with fewer international travelers and rising concerns about safety, Uber is bleeding riders and losing its urban rhythm.
7. Hilton: Half-Empty Hotels
Hilton properties in Orlando, New York, and San Francisco are seeing double-digit drops in international bookings. Business travel from Canada and Europe is vanishing. The brand’s iconic hotels, from the Waldorf Astoria to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, are operating at reduced capacity—and facing reduced revenue.
6. American Airlines: A Sky Without Passengers
The decline in international air travel is hitting hard. American Airlines has cut major transatlantic and Pacific routes, reduced cabin staff, and grounded jets. Premium seats—the profitable heart of the business—are sitting empty. Meanwhile, rival carriers in Europe and Asia are gaining ground.
5. Caesars & MGM: Vegas Loses Its Spark
The Las Vegas Strip is flickering. Caesars and MGM, pillars of Sin City, are watching their international guest numbers crash. High rollers from Japan, conventions from Canada, and global tourists who once filled showrooms and casinos are staying away. Empty tables. Discounted rooms. Silent theaters. The Strip isn’t dead—but it's dimming fast.
4. Delta Airlines: Grounded Glory
Delta’s transcontinental routes are vanishing. Paris, Munich, Tokyo—once lucrative, now uncertain. Ground crews are shrinking. Partnerships abroad are breaking. Delta’s transformation from a global leader to a domestic workhorse is well underway.
3. Expedia Group: Nobody's Booking America
Expedia and its brands like Hotels.com and VRBO are struggling to sell America to the world. Search traffic is down. Bookings have cratered. Instead of Florida or California, tourists are choosing Portugal, Thailand, and Canada. For a company that relied on inbound U.S. travel, this is an existential crisis.
2. Marriott International: A Giant on Shaky Ground
Marriott’s vast U.S. footprint is now a liability. International group bookings have vanished. Hotels like Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis are posting record vacancies. With rising operational costs and declining global interest, Marriott’s U.S. empire is in decline—while competitors abroad thrive.
1. The Walt Disney Company: The Magic Is Fading
Perhaps no symbol of American tourism is more iconic than Disney. And perhaps no decline is more heartbreaking. International attendance at Disney World and Disneyland is in freefall. Hotel bookings, park revenues, and merchandise sales are all shrinking. Even licensing deals abroad are strained. Mickey Mouse, once the face of American wonder, now watches over thinning crowds and investor anxiety.
The Hidden Damage: Jobs, Cities, and National Identity
This crisis isn’t just hurting corporations. It’s hollowing out cities and crushing communities.
Tourism supports millions of workers—Uber drivers, hotel cleaners, tour guides, restaurant staff, performers. In 2025, those jobs are disappearing. Local economies in places like Orlando, Las Vegas, and New York are teetering on the brink. Souvenir shops are closing. Restaurants are laying off staff. Event venues are sitting dark.
And when tourism revenues vanish, so do city budgets. In New Orleans alone, tourism-related tax losses are projected to exceed $250 million this year. That means cuts to schools. Delays in emergency response. A decline in basic services.
But the most painful loss is harder to measure: global trust.
Foreign visitors bring more than money. They bring energy, curiosity, diplomacy. Their absence sends a message—America no longer feels open, safe, or welcoming.
Can America Earn the World Back?
The good news? This decline is not irreversible.
The bad news? The solution isn’t money—it’s mindset.
To win back tourists, America must rebuild trust. That means:
- Fixing visa bottlenecks
- Addressing safety perceptions
- Training hospitality staff in cultural sensitivity
- Investing in multilingual support and customer experience
- Changing how border agents, airport staff, and police interact with foreign guests
This is not about branding. It’s about reality.
Campaigns like Brand USA can’t mask the lived experience. If a traveler feels unwelcome, disrespected, or unsafe, they won’t come back—no matter how many ads they see.
The Final Question: Is It Too Late?
What’s at stake isn’t just tourism revenue.
It’s America’s place in the global imagination.
Because when tourists vanish, so does a nation’s ability to tell its story.
Tourism is not just business. It’s belief. It’s diplomacy. It’s trust.
And in 2025, that trust is unraveling—one empty hotel room at a time.
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