US to expect 90 million visitors by 2026 with record-breaking visas approved

The United States will see 90 million visitors by 2026, according to State Department Secretary Antony Blinken along with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The announcement comes as a record-breaking 8.5 million visitors’ visas were issued out of a total of 11.5 million visas in FY 2024.

The State Department announced visa wait times are down by nearly 60%. 

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A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital via email, “More people can travel to the United States today than ever before, and we are committed to maintaining this positive trend.” 

The news comes as preparations are underway for the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California — welcoming sporting fans from all over the globe.

“We’re doing everything we can to ramp up our capacity to make sure that everyone who’s coming to this country for these incredible events, as well as for so much else, get their visas in a timely way and a smooth way,” said Secretary Blinken at a press conference on Tuesday.

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Secretary Raimondo said at the conference the departments are projecting the travel industry will be fully recovered from the COVID pandemic’s impacts by next year.

The travel and tourism industry today brings in $2.3 trillion in economic activity, the Department of Commerce says.  (iStock)

“Travel and tourism isn’t just fun and isn’t just meaningful, as you said; it’s real business. It is real economic activity, sustaining millions of good paying jobs in this country,” said Raimondo.

Travel and tourism today supports nearly 10 million American jobs, bringing in $2.3 trillion in economic activity, according to the Department of Commerce. 

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“Demand for a U.S. visa is at an all-time high. To meet the demands for visa services from our expected visitors, we are continually exploring new innovations and assessing further opportunities to streamline operations,” said a State Department spokesperson. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Commerce for additional comment.