India saw an 8% drop in the number of visitors traveling to the United States in June 2025, ending a continuous two-decade rise in outbound travel to the U.S.—a decline not witnessed since 2001 outside of the COVID-19 period. Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) reveals that about 210,000 Indians visited in June 2025, down from 230,000 in June 2024.
This downturn continued into July, with preliminary figures pointing to a 5.5% year-on-year decline. Experts warn that various factors may be converging—among them, visa appointment delays, heightened scrutiny during processing, and wider global disruptions impacting travel flows.
Analysts consider the student segment especially hard hit; delayed visa issuance has prevented many who secured college admissions from traveling. Indian travelers typically fall into categories like students, business professionals, and those visiting relatives, while leisure travel remains less dominant compared to destinations like Southeast Asia and Europe.
This slowdown isn’t limited to India. NTTO figures show international arrivals to the U.S. overall fell by 6.2% in June, following declines of 7% in May and 8% in March signaling a broader global slump in travel. Despite the dip, India remains a top source of U.S.-bound travelers, ranked fourth overall and the second-largest overseas market after the UK.
The broader context includes disruptions such as the Pahalgam terror attack, closure of Pakistan’s airspace, and the Air India Ahmedabad crash, all of which have rattled outbound travel from India to Western destinations.
Adding to the concern, remittances for overseas studies have dropped to a five-year low—$138.8 million in June 2025—which reflects tightening restrictions on Indian students seeking education abroad. Moreover, consultants are warning of a staggering 70–80% drop in Indian student arrivals to U.S. universities for the upcoming fall semester, citing frozen visa appointment slots and surging rejection rates.
