Nearly one million Indian visitors travelled to the United States in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary NTTO data
India remained the second-largest overseas source market for the United States during the first half of 2026 despite a decline in visitor arrivals, reflecting the continued importance of the Indian market for US inbound tourism.
Preliminary figures released by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that 202,831 Indian travellers visited the United States in June 2026, a 5.4% decline compared with approximately 214,410 arrivalsrecorded in June 2025.
For the January-June 2026 period, Indian arrivals totalled 971,771, representing an 11.3% year-on-year decline from around 1.1 million recorded during the same period in 2025. Despite the slowdown, India retained its position as the second-largest overseas visitor market for the United States, behind only the United Kingdom.
Mixed Performance During the First Half
Monthly arrival figures reflected fluctuating travel demand throughout the first six months of the year.
Indian arrivals stood at:
- January: 146,394 (down 15.8%)
- February: 106,453 (down 7.4%)
- March: 117,184 (down 23%)
- April: 156,279 (down 11.5%)
- May: 242,630 (up 7.8%)
- June: 202,831 (down 5.4%)
May was the only month during the period to register year-on-year growth, partially offsetting declines recorded during the rest of the first half.
US Overseas Arrivals Also Decline
The broader US inbound travel market also experienced softer demand during the first half of the year.
According to NTTO, the United States welcomed 15.24 million overseas visitors between January and June 2026, a 4.3% decline compared with the same period last year. June alone recorded 2.75 million overseas arrivals, down 1.8% year-on-year.
India Continues to Rank Among Top Source Markets
The United Kingdom remained the largest overseas source market for the United States in June with 331,535 visitors, reflecting robust growth of 16.9% over the previous year.
India retained second place with 202,831 arrivals, followed by:
- Japan: 149,200 visitors
- Colombia
- Brazil
For the first six months of 2026, the ranking remained broadly similar:
- United Kingdom – 1.87 million
- India – 971,771
- Brazil – 960,046
- Japan – 901,885
- China – 748,925
Regional Trends
Western Europe continued to account for the largest share of overseas arrivals into the United States during June, contributing 889,559 visitors, or 32.3% of total overseas traffic, despite a marginal decline of 0.7%.
Asia remained the second-largest regional market with 718,293 visitors, representing 26.1% of overseas arrivals, although visitor numbers from the region fell 6.7% year-on-year.
Among the fastest-growing regions:
- Middle East: Up 17.6% to 114,625 visitors
- Eastern Europe: Up 8.3%
- South America: Up 4% to 501,948 visitors
Meanwhile, Oceania, Africa, Central America and the Caribbean all recorded lower visitor volumes during the month.
First-Half Regional Performance
During the January-June period, Western Europe remained the largest regional contributor with 5.37 million visitors, although arrivals declined 6.9% year-on-year.
Other regional performance included:
- Asia: 4.02 million visitors (down 5.8%)
- South America: 2.73 million visitors (up 5.5%)
- Middle East: 476,623 visitors
The data highlights the resilience of key long-haul markets even as global travel demand continues to adjust to economic and geopolitical factors.
Although Indian visitor numbers softened during the first half of 2026, the country continues to be one of the United States’ most strategically important international tourism markets, underlining the strength of business, education, leisure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel between the two nations.
