European bookings to the United States are down 14 percent year over year. The World Travel and Tourism Council projects $12.5 billion in lost international visitor spending for 2026. That number is real, it’s arriving now, and waiting for it to self-correct is not a strategy.
Think about who pays the price when international travelers quietly choose somewhere else. Not the big brands — they can absorb this. It’s the locally-owned restaurant where the Frankfurt family would have had dinner. The independent tour operator. The family inn where they would have stayed. That’s where the damage lands.
So what’s within your control? Quite a bit, actually.
Redirect your marketing dollars to domestic travelers now — not in Q4. Domestic leisure demand is holding. Disney already made this pivot. If you haven’t, you’re behind.
Know your international mix. Latin American bookings aren’t seeing the same drop as European ones. Do you actually know where your remaining pockets of international growth are? If not, find out this week.
Call your overseas trade partners. Tour operators and booking agents know before you do when demand is softening. Those relationships need active maintenance right now, not reactive outreach when your numbers crater.
Lead with experience, not discounts. The temptation in a soft market is to cut price. It’s the wrong instinct. The operators who come through 2026 strongest will be the ones who sharpened their story — what makes their corner of the world irreplaceable. Winning doesn’t mean eroding margins to fill rooms.
You can’t control Washington. You can control your welcome. Start there.