The latest forecast from U.S. Travel Association puts total U.S. travel spending on track to reach $1.37 trillion in 2026, with modest growth through 2027. The spring 2026 update frames the year as one of steady expansion rather than dramatic swings, and it lands as destination organizations start shaping their next budget cycles.

Domestic travel is the key driver accounting for about 87% of the total, returning to its 2019 level in inflation-adjusted terms, a milestone the sector has been chasing since the pandemic. Domestic leisure continues to inch up, while business travel has flattened into slow, incremental growth after its post-2020 recovery, according to the association’s forecast summary.

International inbound travel had a 2.4% dip in 2025, the forecast has inbound spending swinging back to growth in 2026, with total international arrivals rising to around 70.5 million. Part of that lift is tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup drawing visitors across North American host cities, a demand pattern the U.S. Commerce Department’s travel and tourism forecasts have also flagged.

How the Industry Is Reading the Numbers

For DMOs, the headline is less about the trillion-dollar figure and more about the mix. Domestic demand carrying the recovery means the visitors most destinations can actually influence with their own marketing are the ones doing the heavy lifting, while the higher-yield international segment stays sensitive to airfare, visa processing, and cross-border sentiment. Some destination teams are already treating the World Cup window as a short-term surge to plan around rather than a permanent step-change in inbound volume.

Steady growth also tends to sharpen the budget conversation. When the market isn’t rebounding sharply on its own, the pressure to show that marketing spend is moving the numbers gets harder to wave off. Whether 2027 planning reflects that is the open question heading into convention season.