Live From IPW: Geoff Freeman on America's Decade of Opportunity and the Fight to Reclaim Tourism Leadership

How can the U.S. more warmly welcome international travelers? U.S. Travel Association president Geoff Freeman has a few ideas. In this IPW 2025 episode, recorded live from the conference floor in Chicago, Geoff Freeman sits down with Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran to talk about the state of international inbound travel. As the U.S. travel industry works to recover from a $12 billion loss in international tourism revenue while preparing for America's 250th anniversary, the U.S. Travel Association is encouraging international visitors to book their tickets to come and enjoy a series of major events across the country, including two World Cups and two Olympic Games. What You’ll Learn What major events are planned across the country in the next few years How many trillions of dollars are spent on travel in the U.S. The importance of making travel to the U.S. easier The U.S. has competitors when it comes to international travel made easy Key Moments [04:20] Major upcoming events include the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the 2026 World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics in L.A. [07:25] Travel drives about $2.9 trillion a year in spending, supporting 15 million jobs across the U.S. [10:59] Travel satisfies a human need for connection. [12:32] The need for policy-makers to improve travel efficiency in the U.S. Featured Topics The importance of making inbound travel to the U.S. easier A decade of major events planned to celebrate the country’s 250 birthday Why U.S. policymakers need to support the travel industry Resources Read the transcript of this episode Visit U.S. Travel Association Find U.S. Travel Association on Instagram and Facebook IPW 2025 conference information 🇺🇸 America 250 Update: Upcoming events include the FIFA Club World Cup this year, the 2026 World Cup, and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. 📊 By the Numbers: Travel drives about $2.9 trillion a year in spending, supporting 15 million jobs across the country. In New York City, international travelers make up 17% of all visitors, but make up 50% of all spending that takes place; for Washington, D.C. that’s 8% and 25%, respectively. Previous Episode: Explore Asheville’s Vic Isley on the power of community. Up Next: Helen Hill, President and CEO of Explore Charleston. Complete Series: View From Afar Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all 20 IPW episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content. Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales, where we share first-person narratives of trips that have changed us, and ⁠⁠Unpacked⁠⁠, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week. This IPW 2025 special series was recorded live in Chicago. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media’s podcast network (email advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices