International Tourism Stays Strong in Georgia — For Now

International visitation to Georgia continued to grow in calendar year 2024, outpacing the nation, though the numbers carried potential portents of a future downturn.

In proportion to its 174.2 million domestic visitors, Georgia’s 1.3 million international tourists was minuscule. 

But U.S. government data consistently shows that travelers tend to far outspend U.S. visitors, given the greater distances traveled, longer stays, and the perceived need to make the most of upfront costs like airline tickets. 

International visitation grew 10.2 percent to $3.1 billion, bolstered by stronger growth from markets like India and Mexico, according to a report by the Georgia Department of Economic Development released in October 2025, citing data from Tourism Economics.

Georgia’s top market was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Canada, which saw 383,500 visitors in 2024. That was up 3.6 percent, far slower growth than the previous year, but still on the positive side. Their spending climbed to $186.5 million, an 11.5 percent increase. 

Canadian travel to the U.S. overall dropped 1.1 percent, hinting at a steeper anticipated decline in 2025, when many Canadians boycotted their annual trips to places like Florida in protest over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and threats to annex Canada as the 51st state. 

The Trump administration has also tightened visa requirements and banned travelers from some countries and halted immigrant visa processing in 75 countries (though the State Department clarified that tourist visas will still be processed). Any declines that occurred in 2025 after the president’s January inauguration wouldn’t show up unit last year’s report is issued in the fall of 2026. 

Either way, the state is doing what it can to continue to show hospitality to global guests. 

“We deeply value our international guests, and consistently encourage their visits to Georgia. Our diplomatic, cultural, and business ties around the world run deep, and particularly in the 12 global markets where Georgia maintains representation, and we work to engage those connections wherever possible,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner of Tourism Jay Markwalter, in an email to Global Atlanta. “We invite our international friends to continue to visit Georgia to experience our state’s unique assets from our natural beauty to our cultural experiences, surrounded by our unmatched brand of hospitality from the mountains to the coast.” 

Other top markets for the state remained growth engines, with Germany accounting for 90,600 visitors (up 3 percent) who spent $169.8 million (up 4.5 percent) and the United Kingdom sending 88,000 visitors (up 8.1 percent) spending $143.5 million (up 6.5 percent). India trailed the No. 3 and 4 markets in spending but jumped both of the above countries to rank second by visitors: 102,000 Indians came to Georgia in 2024, (up 30.5 percent) and spent $134 million (up 35.8 percent). Meanwhile, Mexico rose to No. 5 for visitation (55,800 visitors).  

Set to host eight FIFA World Cup matches in 2026, Georgia could see a surge this summer that may offset any drops due to geopolitics, though the fallout from stricter U.S. policy remains to be assessed. Estimates of inbound guests range from 200,000 to 300,000, though many of them will be domestic visitors. See the sports-focused Georgia Travel Guide released by Explore Georgia in 2025

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, meanwhile, handled 14.6 million international passengers in 2024, an increase of 14 percent from the prior year on its way to hitting 108 million total passengers, a full 20 million more than the closest contender, No. 2 Dallas.  

Still, only about half of Atlanta’s international passengers were inbound, and, if history is any indication, the majority were transferring through Atlanta to onward destinations.