International visitors spent more than $21.3 billion on travel to and tourism-related activities within the United States in December 2025, according to new data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office.
The figure represents a 3 percent decrease compared with December 2024. During the same month, Americans spent more than $23.2 billion traveling abroad, resulting in a $1.9 billion travel trade deficit for the United States.
The data highlight a widening gap between spending by foreign visitors in the United States and the amount Americans spend overseas. Travel and tourism exports totaled $21.3 billion in December, while imports linked to outbound travel reached $23.2 billion. The difference between the two figures produced the monthly deficit in travel and tourism-related goods and services.
Despite the monthly decline, international visitors continued to inject significant spending into the U.S. economy throughout the year. From January through December 2025, international travelers spent more than $250.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services. That figure is down slightly by 0.6 percent compared with the same period in 2024.
On average, international visitors contributed about $686 million per day to the U.S. economy during 2025. The spending includes a wide range of tourism-related activities such as accommodation, food, entertainment, shopping, and local transportation.
The largest share of spending came from travel-related purchases by international visitors in the United States. These purchases totaled $12.0 billion in December 2025, down from $12.3 billion in December 2024, a decline of about 2 percent. The category includes expenditures on lodging, restaurants, recreation, entertainment, gifts, and transportation within the country.
Travel receipts made up 56 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports during December. These expenditures are typically associated with leisure tourism, business travel, and visits to friends and relatives.
Another key component of travel exports is international passenger fares paid to U.S. airlines. In December 2025, fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $3.2 billion. This represents a 2 percent decrease compared with the previous year, when passenger fare receipts exceeded $3.3 billion.
Passenger fare receipts accounted for 15 percent of total travel and tourism exports for the month. These revenues reflect international flights operated by U.S. airlines and paid for by foreign residents.
A third category of travel-related exports includes spending linked to education, medical tourism, and short-term workers. Expenditures in this category totaled $6.0 billion in December 2025, compared with $6.3 billion in December 2024. The figures represent a 4 percent year-on-year decline.
This category includes spending by international students enrolled in U.S. educational institutions, visitors traveling for medical treatment, and expenditures by border, seasonal, and other short-term workers while in the United States. Combined, these activities accounted for 28 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports during the month.
The data provide a snapshot of the economic role played by international travel in the United States, both as an export sector and as a contributor to local economies across the country. Travel and tourism spending by international visitors supports a broad range of industries, including aviation, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and education.
While December saw a modest decline in inbound visitor spending, the annual figures suggest the sector remains a major contributor to the U.S. economy. The continued growth of outbound travel by Americans, however, contributed to the return of a travel trade deficit for the month.
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