US tourism leaders scramble to win back Aussie travellers

Fewer Australians are choosing the United States for their holidays, the latest data shows. However, US tourism leaders are keen to get travellers back on board, pulling out all the stops with a new initiative.

Tourism bosses have launched Get Facts. Get Going., a one-stop resource hub for travellers heading Stateside for a holiday.

“There has been a significant amount of discussion and misinformation surrounding travel to the United States in recent months,” Chris Heywood, Senior Vice President, Public Relations & Chief Communications Officer at Brand USA told nine.com.au.

Brand USA, which promotes international tourism to the US, designed the platform to help combat “misinformation” Chris said Australians are seeing online about travel to the USA.

“Millions of international visitors continue to travel to the United States each year,” he said, adding that expanded tech improvements like Mobile Passport Control are helping to make the process “more seamless than ever before”.

Traveller numbers from the ABS show that travel to the US fell 5.5 per cent for the year to March 2026. An Intrepid spokesperson also confirmed to nine.com.au that they have seen a broad decline in interest for their USA tours.

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There has been a slight increase in Aussies heading to the US for June and July, which can be attributed to the FIFA World Cup kicking off this week.

But the current high cost of travelling to the US and the introduction of new entry policies and “enhanced vetting” of tourists continues to turn many visitors away,

‘Entry denied’

Travellers, including Australians, have been detained at the airport, strip searched, told to hand over their phones, and refused entry to the US for “national security reasons”.

Just this week, Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the United States to officiate at the football World Cup, due to the Trump administration’s travel ban on Somalia and several other countries. He would have become the first Somali to referee a World Cup game.

Proposed changes to the ESTA entry system, which allows travel for tourism or business up to 90 days, have also worried The US Travel Association.

“If we get this policy wrong, millions of travellers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker,” the organisation said in a statement in December.

However, Trump has said previously he wasn’t concerned about a decline in tourism numbers calling the US “the tourism capital of the world”.

Travel confidence remains for many

Nine Travel reporter Sarah recently jetted to New York and Miami, and had a seamless trip.

And the new online toolkit by Brand USA is aiming to “quell concerns” and “reassure visitors”.

It is a “single source of accurate, up-to-date information on entry requirements and procedures so they can make informed decisions and travel with confidence,” Chris said.

US-born travel expert Mark Sheehan told nine.com.au his home country remains a stellar destination for travellers. “The USA has always rolled out the red carpet for visitors intent on the holiday of a lifetime.”

He said the “negative” stories about the few travellers being denied entry overshadows the vast majority who have an overwhelmingly positive experience in the USA.

His number one tip? Rent a car (petrol is still far cheaper in the US than it is here in Australia) and explore the great outdoors.

“The USA boasts 65 designated National Parks, but the invitation to spend time with Mother Nature extends to thousands of regional parks, and National Forest and Monument areas.”

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In fact, Intrepid data shows Aussies are certainly interested in heading to America’s National Parks, the only exception to the decline in numbers for the tour company. It has seen a 133 per cent increase in searches for Glacier National Park tours, and increases for trips to Yosemite and Zion National Parks too.

This suggests a clear shift in interest toward nature-based and off-the-beaten-path US itineraries over major cities at the moment.

Mark also said locals are overly friendly, especially when they hear an Aussie accent. “Say ‘g’day’ and land yourself instant celebrity status.”