New England Tourism Update – November 2025
August was the last New England industry update and the last month we received federal data before the shutdown. At that time, arrivals were tracking 2.8% down by long-haul international markets year over year and 26.1% down in Canadian visitation. New England reportings on the overseas I-94 FIA (first-intended address data) from the U.S. CBP shows growth in six of the top ten biggest markets, indicating a stronger share of arrivals coming straight to a New England state or prioritizing New England for their holiday.
Discover New England was hoping for better and bracing for worse. There is a bit of a sigh of relief from the fact that spending by overseas visitors by the end of summer 2025 tracked ahead of 2019, and arrivals were only 2.8% down and 0.3% better than the national average from 2024. These reports are better than expected; however, the industry isn’t in the clear yet.
New administrative policy and mandates continue to test the resilience of the USA tourism industry creating challenges to the domestic airline industry, workforce visa programs and the costs for nonimmigrant visas due to a new Visa Integrity Fee. Despite these challenges, Boston’s share of overseas arrivals compared to the rest of the United States has grown another 0.1% while JFK and Newark experienced declines.
Another important factor is how the US Dollar fell 10.7% in the first half of 2025 (1H25), assumed resulting from slow US growth, rising deficits and general uncertainty (Source: JPMorgan). This is not necessarily positive news for the American economy, but it does make the US more affordable to other countries, alleviating one barrier to travel.
The general expectation is that 2025 will end with travel slightly softer than 2024, and then 2026 will be slightly ahead due to several factors that are supported by major historical and sporting events including the World Cup, the 100th Anniversary of Route 66 and America 250. Discover New England met with a number of European operators during the Annual BrandUSA Travel Week Europe in London this past October. All the operators agreed that the summer was soft and the fall is noticeably picking up for bookings in 2026 and 2027.
Discover New England is charging ahead to make sure that tour operators, media, travel advisors and travelers stay inspired to go deeper into New England and return in different seasons by introducing fresh content focused on winter holidays, biking of all kinds, dark skies and unspoiled nature. Additionally, New England is going to leaders in key markets by organizing sales missions to Germany, and in January, to Italy for the first time. The sales mission to UK and Ireland is planned for June. And of course, the 28th Annual Discover New England Summit & International Marketplace is currently open for registration.
Discover New England continues to strive to keep our industry informed and to provide access to recognized leaders in their fields. Upcoming free webinar topics include accessibility, insights into 2026 and digital strategies. Lastly, Discover New England is thrilled to release its FY2025 Annual Report and to present the recommendations by tourism strategic experts Miles Partnership and Coraggio from their recent strategic planning study.
