Tourism Spending Diverges Across US States and Gulf Region

A Mixed Picture for Travel Spending

New data from state tourism offices and industry trackers show that travel spending in 2025 is anything but uniform, with some destinations posting gains even as visitor counts soften, and others seeing outright declines. The divergence highlights how inflation, shifting traveler behavior, and geopolitics are reshaping the economics of tourism well beyond the traditional metrics of headcount alone.

Utah and Montana Buck the Trend

Utah's tourism sector generated $13.7 billion in visitor spending, according to a new report, even though national park visitation, air travel volumes, and skier days all slipped during the period measured 1. That combination — falling attendance figures paired with rising dollar totals — suggests visitors are spending more per trip even if fewer of them are showing up, a pattern likely tied to higher prices for lodging, dining, and activities rather than a genuine surge in demand.

A similar story is playing out in Montana, where nonresident visitors spent roughly $5.6 billion in 2025, a near-record figure that continues to make tourism one of the state's most powerful economic engines 4. Together, the Utah and Montana figures point to resilience in western U.S. tourism markets, where scenic and outdoor-recreation-driven travel appears to be holding up financially even as broader travel patterns shift.

Florida and the International Slowdown

Not every destination is faring as well. Florida tourism officials reported another decline in visitation for the April-through-June period, with domestic, overseas, and Canadian travel all down compared to the same stretch last year. Persistent inflation and rhetoric from President Trump were cited as contributing factors dampening interest from international and Canadian travelers in particular 5.

That softness fits into a broader national trend: international tourism to the United States has had an uneven recovery. While the dollar value of travel exports has returned to roughly pre-pandemic levels, inflation-adjusted spending tells a less rosy story, underscoring that headline spending figures can mask real declines in purchasing power and visitor volume 2.

The Gulf Region Tells a Different Story

Outside the U.S., the Gulf region is seeing a notably different trajectory. Business travel and entertainment spending there surged this summer, with bookings up 34.2% despite regional volatility. Analysts attribute the jump to travelers taking longer, more deliberately planned trips and to a growing calendar of live entertainment events drawing visitors and spenders alike 3.

What It Means for the Broader Travel Economy

Taken together, these reports illustrate a travel economy defined less by uniform growth and more by regional divergence. Inflation is inflating spending totals in some markets while suppressing actual visitor numbers in others, and geopolitical and economic factors are steering international travelers toward or away from specific destinations. For consumers, that means summer and year-round travel costs remain elevated regardless of where they go, while for destinations, the challenge is distinguishing genuine tourism growth from spending increases driven purely by higher prices.