International air arrivals to the United States fell 6.1% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, dipping to 10.3 million visitors despite a surge of travelers attending the FIFA World Cup, according to newly released data from the National Travel and Tourism Office.
World Cup Draws Nearly Half a Million Visitors
The jointly hosted FIFA World Cup, featuring matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, brought an estimated 471,000 international air visitors to the U.S. during the April-to-June period. These travelers accounted for 4.6% of all overseas air arrivals, 10.3% of Mexican air visitors, and 1.9% of Canadian arrivals, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s estimates.
Although the tournament attracted many visitors, the overall decline in inbound arrivals indicates that event-driven demand did not fully offset weakness in other international travel segments. The second-quarter data captures only the opening phase of the World Cup, which began on June 11 and extended into July.
Top Destinations Hold Steady
Florida led international visitation with 2.7 million air arrivals, followed by New York at 2.6 million and California with 2.2 million. Texas attracted 924,000 visitors, while Nevada welcomed approximately 846,000. Together, these five states accounted for 85% of total international air arrivals.
At the city level, New York City remained the most visited destination with 2.6 million international air travelers. Miami followed with 1.3 million, while Los Angeles and Orlando each received roughly 1.2 million visitors. Las Vegas welcomed 829,000.
The United Kingdom was the largest overseas source market, contributing about 1 million visitors. India ranked second with 602,000, followed by Brazil at 461,000, Japan with 423,000, and Germany at 368,000. These five countries represented approximately 35% of all overseas visitation.
Overseas visitors spent an average of $1,938 per trip and stayed 17.5 nights, according to the Survey of International Air Travelers. Canadian visitors reported average expenditures of $1,129 for stays averaging 9.4 nights, while Mexican visitors spent $1,537 over 9.5 nights.
During the quarter, U.S. residents made 20.7 million international air trips, a 2.0% decline from the same period in 2025. Of those departures, 15.9 million were to overseas destinations, 3.1 million to Mexico, and 1.6 million to Canada.
Related Post: Air Europa hosts travel agents in New York
The data shows that major events like the World Cup can generate localized demand without reversing broader market trends. The 8.0% drop in overseas arrivals significantly impacts gateway cities and hotels reliant on long-haul international travelers. Further assessment will depend on third-quarter arrival figures and hotel performance metrics from host markets.
Outbound Travel Trends Among U.S. Residents
Travel to overseas destinations remained relatively stable, with a slight 0.1% decrease year over year. Trips to Canada increased by 3.0%, while air travel to Mexico decreased by 12.2%. Italy maintained its position as the top overseas destination, welcoming approximately 1.8 million American travelers, followed by the United Kingdom with 1.7 million.
American travelers going to overseas destinations spent an average of $2,120 per trip and stayed for 13.9 nights on average. Expenditures were lower for regional trips, with travelers to Canada spending $1,273 and those to Mexico spending $1,101 per trip.
The top five overseas destinations—Italy, the UK, France, Spain, and the Dominican Republic—accounted for 43% of all U.S. outbound overseas departures. Some travelers visited multiple countries during a single trip.
Consequently, it does not capture the tournament’s full impact on international travel or hotel occupancy in host cities.
A full understanding will require third-quarter arrival numbers, hotel performance data, and visitor spending reports from key markets. Since 1983, the National Travel and Tourism Office has conducted the Survey of International Air Travelers annually, monitoring changes in travel patterns, trip planning, demographics, and expenditures.
Additional resources, including interactive visualizations and downloadable reports, are available through the National Travel and Tourism Office’s Survey of International Air Travelers program.