Booking CEO Glenn Fogel Says Airport Infrastructure Can Reverse Tourism Decline

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel reportedly said that the United States needs to invest in passport and immigration booths at airports to help reverse a decline in foreign tourists.

“It can be very aggravating to come to the U.S. because the first thing you see is a long queue,” Fogel told the Financial Times (FT) in a report published Friday (Aug. 8).

Fogel added that the country’s airports “need to be in shape” before the upcoming 2026 Fifa World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics events that are to be held in the U.S., according to the report.

The number of foreign travelers arriving in U.S. airports was 3.8% lower in the first seven months of the year, compared to the same period in 2024, the report said, citing figures from the National Travel and Tourism Office.

The decline seen in the first six months of the year was the first since the pandemic, per the report.

It was reported in June that a decline in overseas tourists visiting the U.S. was driven in part by some of these travelers canceling trips to the U.S. in favor of visits to Europe or vacations closer to home.

Some said this was because of the White House’s immigration crackdown and reports of foreign visitors to the U.S. being detained or deported, while others said they wanted to show their frustration with the administration’s policies.

It was reported in April that the number of travelers from western Europe who spent at least one night in the U.S. dropped by 17% year over year in March, while the total number of overseas visitors to the country fell by 12%. The decline in overseas visitors was the greatest seen since March 2021.

That report said some of the reluctance was being fueled by U.S. immigration policy amid a rash of incidents in which overseas travelers were detained at the border.

The PYMNTS Intelligence and The Clearing House collaboration “Check-In Time: Hospitality Welcomes Real-Time Payments” found that travelers are willing to invest more in the quality of their experiences rather than the price.

Seventy-seven percent of travelers prioritize experience over cost, according to the report.

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