{"id":152463,"date":"2025-08-17T06:30:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T06:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/152463\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T06:30:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T06:30:35","slug":"international-tourism-forecast-to-drop-8-in-dallas-after-post-pandemic-record-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/152463\/","title":{"rendered":"International tourism forecast to drop 8% in Dallas after post-pandemic record in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just two years after setting a post-pandemic record for international visitors, and a year before hosting one of the world\u2019s most popular<\/a> international events, Dallas is projected to see a decline in tourists visiting from abroad.<\/p>\n

Political, economic and immigration-related concerns<\/a> are affecting international tourism in Dallas, which is on pace to decline 8% this year.<\/p>\n

With AT&T Stadium hosting the most matches in the 2026 World Cup, Dallas faces a great opportunity to build an identity as an international tourist destination.<\/p>\n

The World Cup<\/a>, which will take place next summer at venues in 11 U.S. cities \u2014 including AT&T Stadium in Arlington \u2014 is expected to serve as a catalyst for the recovery of international visitor numbers and a powerful signal that foreign tourists are welcome.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Dallas welcomed 1.3 million international visitors, according to Visit Dallas, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes the city as a premier destination for business and leisure travel. Those visitors are a small but economically important part of the Dallas tourism market because they stay twice as long on average and spend up to six times more than domestic visitors, according to Visit Dallas.<\/p>\n

Political Points<\/p>\n

Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

This year, the dynamics of the travel industry<\/a> have changed, both locally and nationally, due to \u201ca combination of global economic headwinds,\u201d said Chandra Bhat, the director of the National Center for Understanding Future Travel Behavior and Demand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bhat, also a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the decline in international visitors may be due to the Trump administration\u2019s policies, stricter immigration controls and increased travel costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. currency is very strong,\u201d Bhat said, \u201cwhich makes it very expensive for international travelers.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dallas also faces strong global competition to attract visitors, Bhat said. <\/p>\n

During the first year of President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s first term as president, there was also a decrease in visitors to the United States.<\/p>\n

International visitors dropped by 4% in the first seven months of 2017, according to the U.S. National Travel & Tourism Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This year, the situation is repeating itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs other countries roll out the red carpet for tourists, the U.S. government seems to be hanging up a \u2018closed\u2019 sign,\u201d President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council Julia Simpson said in a statement.<\/p>\n

However, Visit Dallas director of communications Zane Harrington said that despite having fewer international visitors in 2025, Dallas may see an increase in overall spending this year.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A man takes a photo of the spot where President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dealey Plaza, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u201cWith international visitation being less than 10% of our total visitation, a much smaller percentage increase in domestic visitation would offset the decline in international visitation,\u201d said Harrington in a written response.<\/p>\n

Visit Dallas projects domestic and international visitors to Dallas combined will spend $11.2 billion this year, a 2.75% increase over last year.<\/p>\n

Dallas\u2019 decline in international visitors is not an isolated case. Foreign tourism to the U.S. has dropped nationally this year, which may cost the U.S. economy up to $29 billion, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.<\/p>\n

Based on preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and outside organizations, international visits to the United States fell approximately 7% in May compared with the same period last year. This is at a time when the global tourism industry is experiencing a surge in international travel. <\/p>\n

According to the Department of Commerce, there has been a 19% decrease in visitors from Canada. The drop could be part of backlash to Trump\u2019s comments in February, when he suggested<\/a> Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. He doubled down on the statement during a visit<\/a> with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in May.<\/p>\n

Western Europe showed a 17% decline in visitors in March, its first decline since 2021. Asia showed a 25% decline in visits and South America a 10% decrease.<\/p>\n

Many countries have updated advisories for citizens visiting the United States, citing stricter immigration enforcement and the potential for detention or deportation, even for travelers carrying valid visas or authorization.<\/p>\n

Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland and Denmark are among the nations that have posted warnings that entry into the U.S. is not guaranteed and travelers may face increased scrutiny at the border. <\/p>\n

Tourism and the World Cup <\/p>\n

News about Trump\u2019s immigration policies is circulating around the world, and although Visit Dallas officials voiced no concern about it, it could deter people from coming to Dallas for next summer\u2019s World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elmer Salazar, a 51-year-old Costa Rican who was in Dallas to watch his national team play at AT&T Stadium<\/a> during the Gold Cup soccer tournament in June, said he\u2019s seen evidence of it.<\/p>\n

Related:Travelers headed to Dallas next summer for World Cup could have an extra $250 visa fee<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Costa Rica,\u201d Salazar said, \u201cwe hear about everything happening here in the United States and there are people who prefer not to travel.\u201d <\/p>\n

An estimated 3.8 million visitors are expected in the Dallas-Fort Worth region for the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and 5,000 international media representatives will make their home base at the International Broadcast Center in downtown Dallas, according to Visit Dallas.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the most recent data available, the D-FW region had 2.9 million international visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome them to the North Texas region,\u201d said Monica Paul, the executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission who is serving as president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup 26 Organizing Committee, in a recent interview with The Dallas Morning News. <\/p>\n

\"Monica<\/p>\n

Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, looks on as Fernando Martinez (left) and Daniel Doucette of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages make a ceremonial donation of soccer balls during a press conference to provide updates with one year until FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Frisco. <\/p>\n

Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Related:North Texas hotels, rentals game plan for up to 100,000 tourists a day for 2026 World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are always challenges that come up with hosting these major events,\u201d Paul said. \u201cWe\u2019re focused on what we can control. And our messaging will always be: We look forward to welcoming people to show them why we love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although expectations are positive, the influx of visitors for the World Cup could be affected by the conditions that are tamping down international tourism this year, according to Michael Butterworth, a professor at UT who studies sports and media.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unavoidable that the Trump administration\u2019s unpredictability will create anxiety for people who may want to come here,\u201d Butterworth said. \u201cOn the other hand, there will certainly be plenty of visitors who will probably feel secure enough to come and won\u2019t think too much about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salazar is one of those international tourists eager to return next year to AT&T Stadium, where nine World Cup games<\/a> will be played between June 14 and July 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel welcome in the United States,\u201d said the Costa Rican soccer fan.<\/p>\n

Business travel up<\/p>\n

Dallas has several strengths it can lean into as it seeks to build up other areas of its tourism industry. Business travel is one of Dallas\u2019 greatest strengths, making it a desirable destination for conventions, the Visit Dallas report said.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People visit and take photos in Dealey Plaza, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Related:First look: Newly revealed convention center is a gamble for downtown Dallas<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Corporate Traveler and FCM Travel, business travel to Dallas between July and September 2024 was up 13% compared with the same period the year prior. <\/p>\n

This represents the third-largest increase among the 20 cities ranked in the report, behind only Charlotte and Atlanta. <\/p>\n

The city is also working on upgrades to its Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, a key attraction for business meetings and their attendees.<\/p>\n

\"Rendering<\/p>\n

Rendering of the proposed convention center seen from Lamar Street looking south.<\/p>\n

Amplify Dallas \/ Inspire Dallas<\/p>\n

The convention center expansion project has garnered much interest from meeting planners. The Visit Dallas sales team has already booked 70 definite conventions after the expansion project is complete, representing $1.77 billion in future economic impact for 2029 and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center<\/a> Dallas Master Plan, airport developments, the FIFA World Cup and projected hotel growth will only increase our industry\u2019s positive impact on our city\u2019s residents,\u201d said Craig Davis, president and CEO of Visit Dallas, in a public report.<\/p>\n

Building an identity<\/p>\n

Recovering the number of visitors to Dallas during the World Cup, Bhat said, will be as important a task as establishing an identity that turns the city into a permanently recognized destination internationally.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The \u201cSentinel\u201d and \u201cProphetess\u201d sculptures by David Newton greet visitors at the entrance of Freedman’s Cemetery Memorial in Dallas on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The memorial is a stop on the Hidden Tours DFW tour, a local tour group that focuses on the first 100 years of the Dallas African American Experience. <\/p>\n

Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup is a wonderful opportunity, a powerful opportunity for the Dallas travel industry to recover,\u201d Bhat said. \u201cThe world\u2019s attention will be on Dallas, without a question.\u201d <\/p>\n

Bhat said Dallas should use the World Cup to define its image as a tourist destination and give people a reason to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the World Cup, Dallas has a powerful opportunity to keep tourism flowing if it finds a way to encourage visitors to come back. It should try to reposition Dallas, not only as a corporate destination, but in a more inclusive way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just two years after setting a post-pandemic record for international visitors, and a year before hosting one of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":152464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,69,80,358,76498,5331,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-152463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-politics","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-texas-travel","14":"tag-tourism","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115042702042394295","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}