Sept 2, 2025: The US has been seeing a decline in international visitors in recent months. According to data from the US Commerce Department's National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), since the start of this millennium, every June has seen a jump in travel compared to the same month in the previous year, except during the COVID period. However, 2025 broke that trend. In June 2025, the number of Indian visitors to the US decreased compared to June 2024. According to NTTO data, 2.1 lakh Indians travelled to the US in June, 8 per cent lower than 2.3 lakh in the same month last year. According to The Times of India, the provisional figure for July is down 5.5% from the same month last year. When compared to June 2024, the total number of non-resident international visitors to the United States decreased by 6.2% in June 2025, 7% in May, 8% in March, and 1.9% in February. According to NTTO data, January saw a 4.7% increase compared to the same time last year, and April saw a 1.3% increase. India is the fourth largest source market for international visitors to the US. The UK is the biggest overseas source market, followed by India in the second place. Mexico and Canada, the two largest source markets, share a land border. "Combined, these top five source markets (with Brazil being the fifth) accounted for 59.4 per cent of total international arrivals this June," says NTTO.
"We are seeing a very visible impact on the student segment this year due to the delay in visa issuance, even after people securing college admission," a leading travel agent told the Times of India.
While a variety of factors may be to blame for the drop in numbers, the more stringent visa policy that US President Trump implemented during his second term may also be to blame.