Japan Edges Past U.S. as Top Travel Pick in Brand USA Surveys

Japan finished ahead of the United States as the top destination for long-haul international travelers in August and October 2026, according to new research from Brand USA. The group shared the findings at its board meeting Tuesday, as reported by Skift.

The U.S. still leads year to date. But in January of last year it was ahead of Japan by more than eight percentage points, and that lead is gone. Chelsea Benitez, Brand USA’s senior director of research and analytics, called Japan the country’s most direct competitor for long-haul visitors.

The central numbers

• 24%: the share of long-haul travelers considering the U.S. so far in 2026, down from 30% in 2019.
• 23%: Japan’s consideration share, enough to finish ahead of the U.S. in August and October 2026.
• 24% each: the share naming cost and the political climate as top reasons to stay away, while 23% said they want to visit other countries first.
• 57%: the share of October respondents who still plan an international trip in the next 12 months.
• 53%: the share who would recommend the U.S. so far this year, down from 64% in 2024.
• 16%: the share who would discourage a visit, up from 7%.

Who was surveyed

Brand USA’s survey polls roughly 11,000 people each month in 11 markets that matter to U.S. tourism: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The results describe travelers in those markets, not every international visitor.

Interest in travel holds, but the U.S. share slips

The 57% of October respondents planning a trip abroad matches the levels for 2024 and 2025, according to Skift. That means overall appetite for international travel has not fallen. The U.S. is losing ground to other destinations, with Japan the clearest example.

Brand USA described much of the drop as postponed rather than permanent. Nearly 60% of travelers who picked another destination this year told the survey they expect to visit the U.S. within five years. Skift reported that the organization’s budget for winning that demand back is shrinking, without giving a figure.

What this means for U.S. destinations

Fewer long-haul visitors choosing the U.S. shows up in the arrival counts. Skift cited overseas visitation of 24.1 million through September, down nearly 6% from a year earlier. It also cited a Tourism Economics forecast of 67.8 million international visitors in 2026, more than 2 million below that firm’s June projection.

Cost and the political climate are the two most common deterrents, each named by 24% of respondents. The survey does not break the results down by state, park or city.

Source: Skift