Trump meets with travel industry CEOs on push to boost foreign tourism

Tourists visit the Lincoln Memorial and its reflecting pool in Washington. U.S. Travel Association President Geoff Freeman said the group wants to boost foreign visitors to 100 million annually. | REUTERS

Sep 3, 2026

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump met with major travel company executives on Wednesday including representatives from American Airlines, Marriott, MGM Resorts and Carnival to discuss ways to reverse a decline in international visitors.

U.S. tourism got a big but temporary boost from the FIFA World Cup this summer. Travel spending rose 6.2% year over year in June to $122.1 billion, its strongest monthly reading in a year, and FIFA reported its best-ever attendance at this summer’s tournament.

Trump said FIFA was a big economic boost to U.S. host cities. “The American skies were loaded up with planes and loaded up with a lot of happy people,” he said.

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