USTA CEO on perceptions of US as destination

NATIONAL REPORT – In the aftermath of the recent government shutdown, U.S. Travel Association (USTA) CEO Geoff Freeman weighed in on the current climate and the state of U.S. travel.

While Freeman said President Donald Trump’s administration has “done a number of favorable things for the travel industry,” including investments in air traffic control and customs and border control, there is still a sense of uneasiness.

“The challenge is... nobody feels like they’re winning right now,” he said during an executive interview at The Phocuswright Conference in November.

According to Freeman, international travel to the U.S. is projected to be down 6% in 2025, driven by a 25% decline in travel from Canada.

“The most startling fact is that the U.S. will be the only nation in the world this year to see a reduction in travel. We had 79 million visitors before the pandemic in 2019. This year, we’ll have 68 million visitors—4 million less than we had last year. So, we’re going the wrong way,” Freeman said.

Freeman added that each market is different, but travel is impacted by the expensive U.S. market and general fear.

“There is fear about coming to the United States—justified or not—that is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before: fear of being detained in an airport or having your device searched,” he said. “There clearly hasn’t been enough done to arrest that perception, to change that perception. That’s something we’re working with the White House on.”

Freeman said the current situation in the U.S. has also benefited other countries.

“What I hear from counterparts around the world is a big, hearty ‘thank you.’ We’re driving travelers into their arms. We’re making their markets more competitive. We’re making the U.S. less attractive,” he said.

“But that’s not what we’re looking for, right? We’re looking to make the U.S. much more competitive and attractive to these travelers, and one of the big problems that we seem to have at a federal level is we assume that people are going to come here.”

Freeman also touched on luxury travel, recent visa regulations, biometrics and more. Watch the full discussion with Mitra Sorrells, SVP of content for PhocusWire and Phocuswright, below.