Recent media reports regarding a U.S. government decision to halt immigrant visa processing for certain countries have caused understandable confusion within the international travel community. It is important to clarify that this action does not affect tourist travel, business travel, or other... Continue Reading
For Immediate Release - January 12, 2026 Contact: Lisa Simon, CEOlisa.simon@inboundtravel.org 859-351-0805 Visit Oklahoma City Selected to Host IITA Summit in 2028 Oklahoma City, OK – The International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) Board of Directors selected Visit... Continue Reading
In October 2025, international visitor arrivals to the United States totaled 5,846,506, a decrease of 5.7 percent compared to October 2024 Outbound travel departures from the United States by U.S. citizens totaled 8,691,389 in October 2025, an increase of 3.3 percent compared to October 2024 Data... Continue Reading
Yellowstone National Park entrance station The National Park Service’s new international visitor – nonresident surcharge went into effect January 1, despite lingering questions and incomplete implementation guidance for commercial tour... Continue Reading
IITA membership continues to grow—and that momentum is shaping an even stronger Summit experience for our members. Since 2019 (pre-COVID), IITA has seen significant growth across both sides of our membership: Operator membership has increased by 60%, now totaling 59 company members Tourism... Continue Reading
For Immediate Release Contact: Lisa Simon, CEOlisa.simon@inboundtravel.org 859-351-0805 New ESTA Data Collection Proposal Could Impose High Economic Costs WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Inbound Travel Association (IITA) today expressed concern about... Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs & Border Protection recently proposed a new rule to collect additional information from Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) travelers, including social media, personal and family contact information and biometrics — face,... Continue Reading
2026 will present inbound tour operators and their clients with a series of challenges impacting both the cost and the quality of experiencing our national parks. Both of these situations are on top of other issues, which can continue the circumstances that made the United States the only... Continue Reading
International Air Passenger Enplanements To and From the United States Down 0.2 percent Year Over Year in November 2025 Overseas Visitation to the United States Down 3.5 percent Year Over Year in November 2025 Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that... Continue Reading
This is an update to this previous article. Updated 1-14-26. The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a new international visitor / nonresident surcharge for entry to 11 major U.S. National Parks beginning January 1, 2026. Since the announcement, we’ve heard from operators, DMOs, and... Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have proposed a new requirement for travelers applying for ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program: the mandatory submission of social media account information as part of the background screening process. The proposed... Continue Reading
In September 2025, international visitor arrivals to the United States totaled 5,477,289, a decrease of 11 percent compared to September 2024 Outbound travel departures from the United States by U.S. citizens totaled 8,546,659 in September 2025, an increase of 0.5 percent compared to September... Continue Reading
