People attend IMEX America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Oct. 7, 2025. As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

LAS VEGAS, the United States, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas.

The event organizer said demand has risen across the board compared with 2024, with both the number of exhibiting companies and registered buyers surpassing last year's event, as China increased its booth space by 50 percent and Morocco by 20 percent.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, said the first day of the show had an "upbeat vibe," reflecting participants' enthusiasm and readiness to engage in business.

"Our sector continues to thrive even amid current economic and other challenges," she said.

The annual IMEX America event opened amid mounting concerns over the U.S. tourism industry following a decline in overseas visitors during the summer.

The World Travel & Tourism Council estimated in May that the United States could face a staggering loss of 12.5 billion U.S. dollars in international visitor spending this year.

Observers attributed the slowdown to U.S. immigration policies and changing perceptions of the country abroad, factors that have affected key markets such as Canada and Western Europe.

Canada, traditionally the largest source of international visitors to the United States, saw its residents coming back from the United States fall 26 percent by air and 37 percent by automobile in July year-on-year, data from Statistics Canada showed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. side witnessed a similar decline, with data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection showing about 1.3 million fewer people crossed into the country from its northern border in July compared with the same month in 2024.

"For the first time in around 20 years (excluding the pandemic), we saw more Americans visiting Canada than Canadians heading south," Tourism Review News said in a recent report.

"The Financial Times notes declines of 19 percent from Denmark, 10 percent from Germany, and 6.6 percent from France in the initial seven months of 2025," it added. ■

People attend IMEX America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Oct. 7, 2025. As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People attend IMEX America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Oct. 7, 2025. As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People attend IMEX America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Oct. 7, 2025. As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People attend IMEX America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, on Oct. 7, 2025. As concerns grow over the U.S. tourism sector, IMEX America 2025 -- the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry -- opened Tuesday in the western U.S. city of Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)