Trump Meets Travel Executives to Sustain Tourism Momentum

President Donald Trump is meeting Wednesday with executives from major airlines, hotel chains, and travel companies to discuss maintaining the economic momentum generated by a historic summer tourism season. The surge in travel was driven by the men's FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of the United States. Attendees include representatives from American Airlines, Marriott International, Hilton, and Carnival, as well as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman.

While June travel spending increased 6.2% to $122.1 billion, the industry is grappling with a decline in international arrivals, which fell 5.5% in 2025 and 4.7% through July 2026. Industry officials attribute this downturn to higher costs, including a new $250 Visa Integrity Fee, long visa wait times, and tighter immigration policies.

The White House intends to highlight efforts to mitigate these issues, including the FIFA PASS priority visa system and a $12.5 billion investment aimed at modernizing the air traffic control system.