New Hampshire projects $2.6 billion in summer visitor spending for 2026
New Hampshire is projecting approximately 4.8 million visitors and about $2.6 billion in visitor spending during the 2026 summer travel season, according to the state Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
The May 18 outlook is a forecast, not a report of spending already received. It offers businesses, tourism operators and policymakers a statewide expectation for seasonal visitor demand and related consumer spending during summer 2026.
State officials said both visitation and spending are expected to remain consistent with summer 2025. The department did not present the $2.6 billion figure as actual 2026 revenue, and final spending and visitor totals will depend on activity during the season.
A statewide demand forecast
The forecast applies across New Hampshire and covers the summer season rather than a single destination, event or business sector. Its central measures are the projected number of visitors—about 4.8 million—and their anticipated spending—about $2.6 billion statewide.
For businesses that serve travelers, the projection provides a broad planning benchmark for the summer period. For state agencies and local communities, it provides an updated outlook for visitor-related consumer demand and revenue activity. The announcement does not provide separate projections for particular regions, businesses, prices, employment levels or individual types of visitor purchases.
That distinction matters because the two headline figures describe expected activity, rather than a completed economic result. A projection of visitor spending does not establish how much any individual business will receive, how the spending will be distributed among communities, or whether tourism employment will increase.
Officials expect a result similar to 2025
The department characterized the 2026 outlook as consistent with the prior summer. The source packet does not provide a separate numerical total for summer 2025, so the comparison establishes the direction of the state’s expectation without allowing for a calculation of year-over-year growth or decline.
Likewise, the announcement gives an approximate statewide spending estimate, not a detailed accounting of costs, profits or public revenue. It does not identify public subsidies connected to the forecast, nor does it assign the projected spending to particular industries or communities.
The forecast nevertheless puts a dollar figure on the scale of expected summer travel activity: roughly $2.6 billion in anticipated visitor purchases across the state. The accompanying 4.8 million-visitor estimate indicates the volume of travelers officials expect to participate in that seasonal activity.
Ice Cream Trail included in tourism campaign
As part of the tourism campaign, the state launched the 2026 New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail. The announcement involved the Division of Travel and Tourism Development, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
The source material identifies the trail as part of the campaign but does not provide participation totals, spending targets, operating costs or results for the program. It also does not say how much of the statewide visitor-spending projection is expected to be connected to the trail or other individual tourism initiatives.
What to watch
The key next measure will be actual visitor activity and spending once the 2026 summer season is complete. Until then, the 4.8 million visitor count and $2.6 billion spending figure remain state estimates rather than realized totals.
For now, the outlook signals that officials are planning for a summer tourism season broadly in line with 2025, while using the Ice Cream Trail as one element of the state’s 2026 visitor campaign.
Sources
- State Officials Announce Summer Tourism Outlook, New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs
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