Travel to the US continues to struggle as Australian visitation recorded its sixth straight month of year-on-year declines.
According to official preliminary statistics from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) – part of the US Government’s International Trade Administration (ITA) – 57,478 Australian nationals arrived in the United States in November 2025, a 12.7 per cent drop compared to US travel the same month the year before.
This followed an 11 per cent y-o-y decrease (to 78,895 visitors) in October 2025 and a 13 per cent fall (to 100,750) in September. Before this, there were three consecutive months of declines from June to August.
Flight Centre Indooroopilly Team Leader Sam Hele says that there is “definitely still some apprehension from people wanting to travel to the States”.
However, in good news for those considering US-bound travel, Hele tells Karryon there are “some amazing deals and value to be had, which plenty of customers are still taking advantage of”.
Helloworld Blackwood Owner and Manager Kim Gibson says US demand has “certainly dropped” for her business.
“We have really only done one USA booking this year for a family travelling to the States on holiday,” she tells Karryon.
“We have made two flights bookings for two lots of clients, but they were only visiting relatives and one for a person doing Camp America.
“We would normally do more USA bookings, but the demand is not there. Instead, we are booking a lot of Europe, UK, Scandinavia, Japan, Asia, ocean cruise and river cruise and Africa. Next year’s bookings are showing the same trends, no USA.”
Similarly, LUXE by itravel Luxury Travel Advisor Geoff Currie says he has had a single booking for 2025, which was booked in January 2025 and departs this week.
“Everything I had this year was for Europe, Japan, Africa, Scandinavia and Asia,” he tells Karryon.
“All my interest for 2026 is Europe, Japan, Africa and Asia… a little bit of Canada.”
“Don’t write it off”
The Runway Traveller’s Vanessa Tokatly has been in the US for the past six weeks and is more optimistic, highlighting the things that travellers have long flocked to the US for.
“We all know the USA has been a tougher sell this year. Between the political noise, media chatter around ESTA issues and general uncertainty, many Aussie travellers have been steering clear,” she says in a message to her fellow travel advisors.
“But here’s the truth: the things we’ve always loved about the States? The entertainment, the culture, the sports, the hospitality… they’re still very much alive.
“I’ve just spent the past month in New York, Michigan, Louisiana and Illinois, and I loved every moment. The energy, the warmth, the experiences… nothing has changed.
“So don’t write off an entire destination because of what’s happening in politics – just like we wouldn’t want to be defined by ours.
“The USA is still an incredible place for travellers, and it’s absolutely worth encouraging clients to rediscover it.”
TravelManagers PTM Tanya Patterson is another travel advisor who has just spent time in the States, and her takeaway is that while some of the places she visited were “busy”, most of the tourists appeared to be American.
“I’m only back from the USA two weeks ago, where I had a quick 5-night stay in Anaheim and then three nights in Las Vegas to shop at the Black Friday sales,” she tells Karryon.
“Of course, Disneyland was extremely busy, as it was Thanksgiving. In fact, the [whole] week was busy! It’s really noticeable that it’s Americans who are travelling within their own country, not a lot of foreigners.”
While Patterson laments the unfavourable exchange rate, with Aussies currently “not really getting bang for our buck”, she says “the sales were fantastic, with considerable discounts for amazing quality products”.
“Las Vegas was quiet after the Grand Prix… but the sales were huge [and] savings were to be had!”
Overall, Tanya says sales “have definitely been down this year, and next year I have a multi-gen family and a family of five only booked at this stage”.
Fiona Gent, a luxury travel specialist with MTA (Mobile Travel Agents), says that while “overall demand for the US is still down… I am still seeing interest in Hawaii and Alaska but with a clear preference for Alaskan cruises departing from Vancouver rather than US ports”.
That said, she tells Karryon that she doesn’t “envisage seeing any major increases in US travel enquiries for 2026”.
“A smart fix”
The country could also receive a much-needed boost through the VISIT USA Act, which would restore funding to Brand USA after the national marketing body lost 80 per cent of its budget earlier this year.
In addition to boosting tourism, the legislation aims to restore firepower ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and other major events.
“The VISIT USA Act is a smart, bipartisan fix that ensures America competes on the global stage,” US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in November.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to welcome the world – through the World Cup, America 250 and the Olympics – but that success depends on Brand USA having the resources to do its job.”
KARRYON UNPACKS: Yes, numbers are down, but the US travel hasn’t lost its spark, say some agents. So this almost feels like a pause, not a farewell, with value, events and rediscovery ahead.
