PHL sees dip in international travelers coming through airport so far in 2025

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia tourism officials say they're focused on developing international tourism as the number of non U.S. citizens traveling through Philadelphia International Airport is down this year.

Airport officials confirm the number of non-US citizens traveling into PHL has decreased by about 10.5% this year.

Here is the breakdown of non-U.S. citizen entries to the airport, according to the 6abc data journalism team:

• From January 1 to April 28, 2023: 86,878
• From January 1 to April 28, 2024: 88,785
• From January 1 to April 28, 2025: 79,464

Responding to the drop, Gregg Caren, the president & CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, told Action News, "We knew the headwinds that we're facing based on the sort of political climate that we're in today."

He added, "We're seeing a dip from certain market segments. But the beauty of Philadelphia is that when one sector may be down a little bit, say corporate travel, we might be up in domestic tourism."

Caren said his team is focused on continuing to develop international tourism.

"I have people on my team right now in Canada promoting tourism to Philadelphia," he explained. "We want them to know who Philadelphia, who we are as a city, and lean into us as a welcoming city and inclusive city."

On Wednesday afternoon, Caren was one of several people to speak at a '2025 Tourism Outlook' meeting hosted by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and Visit Philly.

During that meeting, travel industry leaders discussed how the region intends to welcome international visitors in the face of geopolitical challenges.

Caren said, "We're really focused on the long game of meetings and conventions, and then the other part of what we do is international tourism development."

Airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said while they recognize the decrease in non-U.S. citizens coming through PHL, she also said, "PHL has experienced an increase in its total number of international travelers of 5.2% year-over-year from January 1-April 27, 2025."

Redfern said the airport is preparing for a busy summer. She said in a statement to Action News, "In June, July and August, we are seeing an increase in international seat capacity year-over-year, including the use of larger planes on some routes, to Canada by Air Canada and American Airlines."

Redfern also noted new international flights being added in the coming months. In May, American Airlines is launching new, nonstop flights to Edinburgh and Milan. In June, PHL will begin offering daily year-round nonstop service to Mexico City.

In its annual report, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau noted that Philadelphia welcomed more than 542,000 attendees through 267 events last year. They said those events generated $636 million in economic impact.

The report also noted that international tourism rebounded in 2024 to pre-pandemic levels. The bureau's data shows the city welcomed 1.2 million international visitors last year, who spent over $681 million, resulting in a $1.2 billion economic impact.