Nearly one million fewer Western European tourists travelled to the United States in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period two years earlier, while the number of Americans visiting Europe continued to rise.
Preliminary data from US Customs and Border Protection and the International Trade Administration, analysed by Corriere della Sera, show that 6.3 million residents of Western Europe entered the US for tourism between January and August this year. That compares with nearly 7.1 million in the same period of 2025 and around 7.3 million in 2024, representing a decline of approximately 936,000 visitors over two years.
The downturn has affected several major European markets. Arrivals from Denmark fell 30.5%, followed by Switzerland at 20.4% and Germany at 19.2%.
Italian tourism to the US has also reversed after holding up relatively well in 2025. The number of Italian visitors fell 14.4%, from around 694,000 in January-August 2025 to approximately 594,000 during the same period this year.
Higher costs add to travel concerns
The decline in European travel to the US has been attributed to several factors, including concerns over stricter US entry policies under President Donald Trump, higher travel costs and wider geopolitical uncertainty.
Hotel prices have also reached record levels in some destinations, partly due to demand associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Concerns over international crises and the possibility of a global economic slowdown are also encouraging some European travellers to reconsider long-haul trips.
The drop in European visitors is having a measurable impact on US tourism revenues. European tourists spend an average of around $2,000 per person in the US, excluding airfares. Based on that estimate, the decline in arrivals during the first eight months of 2026 represents roughly $1.5bn in lost spending on accommodation, food, local transport, shopping and attractions compared with the same period last year.
Including air travel, the estimated shortfall rises to around $2.3bn.
For Italy, the number of arrivals for business purposes remained broadly stable at just under 105,000. The number of Italian students travelling to the US edged down from 13,704 in 2025 to 13,533 this year.
Americans continue to travel to Europe
The flow in the opposite direction has remained stronger. More than 10.7 million US citizens travelled to Europe during the first half of 2026, according to data released in September. The figure was 2.2% higher than in the same period last year, although June alone recorded a decline.
The contrasting trends are also affecting airlines on both sides of the Atlantic.
European carriers are facing greater pressure as weaker inbound tourism affects demand on routes where they traditionally have a strong customer base. US airlines, meanwhile, are benefiting from a passenger mix that is heavily weighted towards domestic-origin traffic. Around 80% of passengers on their transatlantic services originate in the US, providing a relatively stable source of demand.
This has helped US carriers including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines expand their European networks, while some European airlines have begun reducing or cancelling transatlantic services.
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