Sarah Kopit

As immigration enforcement puts airlines, hotels, and passenger data at the center of a national conflict, the U.S. travel industry has responded with near-total silence.

For a remote destination selling silence and sustainability, geopolitical attention may prove harder to manage than rapid tourism growth.

Cities are discovering what Las Vegas has known for years: nothing fills hotel rooms like a pop star who doesn’t leave town. The music residency model is a steady, renewable source of local tourism that outlasts festivals and tours. And in 2026 other cities want in. 

Affordability issues, visa wars, and travel bans have made the U.S. a completely different destination for international visitors. Here’s how it will change U.S. tourism in 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions are massive. The question now is whether a well-timed soft-power push in Washington can convert into real investment, credible Western visitor growth, and sustained global demand.

In Saudi Arabia, tourism is now geopolitics. By hosting a historic UN Tourism vote and calling on the U.S. to rejoin the organization, Riyadh is positioning itself as both the industry’s banker and its broker.

AlUla isn’t just selling sunsets anymore — it’s pitching investors on a future with a self-sustaining tourism and film economy. Think fewer subsidies, more Six Senses — and maybe even its own White Lotus.

Non-core expansion. Rewired distribution. Live public-policy experiments. This year’s Power Rankings spotlight the leaders taking the biggest risks in travel, staking cash, reputation, and time on moves they can’t easily unwind. The next 12 months will reveal who placed smart bets — and who just rolled the dice.

The travel industry could get a nice boost from lower rates: Think more deals, more investment, and more spending by travelers.

Airbnb is hiring an engineer for an AI-powered natural language search product. If the tech delivers, it could create new creative pressure in shaping how people choose where to go and stay.