US travel executives have asked President Donald Trump to help attract 100 <a href="https://absafricatv.com/200-million-climate-fund-backs-east-africas-rural-farmers-science/” title=”$200 Million Climate Fund Backs East Africa’s Rural Farmers | Science”>million international visitors annually, even as a visa-bond programme introduced by his administration makes travel considerably more expensive for applicants from 30 African countries.
US President Donald Trump met airline, hotel and resort executives as the travel industry pushed for 100 million annual foreign visitors..Kevin Dietsch/
- US travel executives have asked President Donald Trump to help increase annual international arrivals to 100 million.
- The target is substantially higher than the 68 million foreign visitors recorded in 2025.
- Industry leaders say Trump’s visa-bond programme contributed to an 80% decline in arrivals from the 50 affected countries.
- Africa accounts for 30 of those countries, with some business and tourist visa applicants required to provide a refundable $15,000 bond.
Trump met executives from American Airlines, Marriott International, MGM Resorts, Carnival, Caesars Entertainment and other major travel businesses at the White House on Wednesday, according toReuters.
The meeting focused on reversing a decline in international arrivals and making the United States the world’s most visited country.
Geoff Freeman, president of the US Travel Association, said the industry wants annual foreign visitor numbers to reach 100 million, up from approximately 68 million in 2025.
That would require the United States to attract about 32 million additional visitors, an increase of roughly 47% from the 2025 level.
The target is not a formal commitment announced by Trump. It is an industry objective presented to his administration as travel companies seek policy changes capable of bringing more tourists into the country.
Achieving it could be difficult without changes to some of the administration’s entry restrictions.
The United States received 5.5% fewer international visitors in 2025 than in the previous year. Despite a temporary increase during the FIFA World Cup, overseas arrivals declined by another 4.7% during the first seven months of 2026, according to US Commerce Department figures cited by Reuters.
Travel executives have blamed the weakness on several factors, including lengthy visa-interview waiting times, expensive airfares, stricter immigration enforcement, tariffs and restrictions affecting travellers from certain countries.
Visa bonds emerge as obstacle to tourism target
One of the industry’s most significant concerns is the visa-bond programme covering 50 countries.
Freeman said arrivals from the affected countries had declined by approximately 80% since the measure was introduced.
“We cannot get to 100 million travellers with a bond programme that would discourage travellers,” he told reporters following the White House meeting.
Africa bears a disproportionate share of that policy. Thirty African countries are now covered by the scheme, representing 60% of the 50 affected countries worldwide.
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Under the programme, selected applicants seeking B1 business or B2 tourist visas must provide a refundable bond before travelling. The money is intended to discourage visitors from remaining in the United States after their visas expire.
The Trump administration has defended the measure as an effective way to reduce visa overstays and protect American taxpayers.
The US State Department said in March that about 97% of nearly 1,000 travellers issued bonded visas had returned to their countries on time.
It subsequently expanded the scheme to Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and Tunisia, bringing the number of affected African countries to 30. Applicants from those six countries are required to provide a $15,000 bond.
Africa accounts for 30 of the countries covered by the US visa-bond programme.
The bond is refundable when the traveller leaves the United States within the permitted period and complies with the conditions of the visa. Nevertheless, raising $15,000 before a journey creates a substantial financial barrier, even when the money is eventually returned.
The requirement comes in addition to visa application fees, airline tickets, accommodation and other travel expenses.
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African applicants face additional barriers
The bond programme is not the only difficulty facing African travellers.
The United States has also stopped routine visa processing at its embassies in 25 African cities, directing some applicants to designated posts outside their countries of residence.
AsBI Africa previously reported, the change can require applicants to pay for flights, accommodation and entry permits merely to attend an American visa interview.
Those expenses can be lost if the application is refused.
Together, the bond and interview-location policies create a contradiction at the centre of the new tourism push. The travel industry wants tens of millions of additional international visitors, while government rules have increased the cost and complexity of travelling for people in several emerging markets.
The effect extends beyond holidays. B1 and B2 visas are used by people attending conferences, trade events, family occasions and business meetings. Higher entry costs can therefore affect commercial relationships and professional travel as well as tourism.
Mauritius’s inclusion in the bond programme has been particularly sensitive because the island is expected to host a US-Africa Business Summit. Ethiopia is also an important American commercial and diplomatic partner.
Critics argue that making legitimate travel more difficult could weaken US efforts to deepen business and political relationships across a continent where China, Russia, Turkey and Gulf countries are expanding their influence.
World Cup boost did not reverse decline
The FIFA World Cup demonstrated the economic value of international visitors to the United States.
Travel spending increased 6.2% from a year earlier to $122.1 billion in June, its strongest monthly performance in a year. Trump described the tournament as an important boost for American host cities.
The increase did not reverse the underlying decline in overseas arrivals.
Canada, one of the United States’ most importantical and trade tensions. Tourist arrivals in Las Vegas fell 7.5% in 2025
The White House says it is attempting to make travel easier in other areas. Measures include simplified airport screening, family screening lanes, more biometric fast lanes for returning Americans and faster connections between international and domestic flights.
Those changes address travellers’ experience after reaching an American airport. They do not remove the financial and administrative barriers encountered before departure.
France received approximately 102 million international tourists in 2025, retaining its position as the world’s most visited country.
For the United States to overtake it, Washington would need more than a successful World Cup and shorter airport queues. It would have to persuade millions of prospective travellers that visiting is affordable, predictable and welcoming.
For applicants in 30 African countries, the $15,000 bond remains one of the clearest obstacles to that ambition.
