Hawaii Teams Up With New Jersey and More in Implementing New Travel Charges and Mandatory Social Media Reviews to Recover US Tourism Revenue

Hawaii Teams Up With New Jersey and more in implementing new travel charges and mandatory social media reviews as the US tourism industry navigates rising visitor costs and changing entry policies. While states introduce higher accommodation, rental-car and local tourism fees to support revenue needs, proposed social media reviews and other federal measures are creating a wider debate about the cost and complexity of travelling to the United States.

Travelling to the United States is becoming more expensive and potentially more complicated in 2026, with Hawaii, Washington, New Jersey, California, Georgia and North Carolina introducing or implementing higher taxes, surcharges or travel-related charges.

The state and local measures vary considerably. Hawaii increased its accommodation tax. Washington sharply raised its additional rental-car tax. Newark introduced a hotel surcharge. California increased the permitted ceiling for a particular airport rental-car facility charge. Hall County in Georgia raised its hotel tax, while North Carolina has a new tax treatment for peer-to-peer vehicle rentals beginning in October.

These domestic costs are emerging alongside major changes and proposals affecting international visitors. They include a proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, proposed expanded social-media requirements for Visa Waiver Program travellers, and an active visa-bond programme requiring certain B1/B2 applicants from designated countries to post $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 bonds.

Together, these developments are creating a wider debate about the cost and complexity of visiting America.

State-by-State US Travel Fee and Tax Changes

Hawaii: Higher Hotel Tax Meets Growing US Entry Costs

Hawaii raised its state Transient Accommodations Tax from 10.25% to 11% on 1 January 2026, adding another cost to hotel, holiday-rental and timeshare stays. The change is especially important for international travellers because accommodation taxes come after the cost of reaching the United States. Those visitors are simultaneously watching federal measures such as the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, proposed expanded social-media screening requirements and visa bonds reaching $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 for affected B1/B2 applicants. Hawaii also extended its TAT framework to qualifying cruise fares, calculated proportionally according to time spent at Hawaii ports. This means the state’s visitor-tax strategy now reaches both land-based accommodation and cruise tourism, adding another cost consideration for travellers planning expensive Pacific holidays.

Washington: Rental-Car Tax Climbs From 5.9% to 11.9%

Washington implemented one of the largest percentage increases affecting US road-trip travellers when its additional state rental-car tax increased from 5.9% to 11.9% for 2026. This levy sits on top of retail sales tax, and certain counties can impose additional rental-car taxation. The increase matters particularly for international travellers using Seattle as the starting point for road trips through Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Their travel budget could also face federal entry-related pressure from the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, proposed additional social-media information requirements and, for nationals of designated countries, visa bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. The combination illustrates the cumulative-cost problem: visitors can encounter costs before entering America and then additional state and local taxation after renting a vehicle.

New Jersey: Newark Introduces a $3 Daily Hotel Surcharge

New Jersey introduced a $3-per-day surcharge on qualifying taxable hotel stays from 1 January 2026, with Newark currently the only city meeting the statutory criteria. A five-night stay therefore creates an additional $15 charge before other applicable hotel, municipal and sales taxes are considered. Newark’s position beside a major international gateway makes the development particularly relevant to overseas travellers. Some visitors may already pay the standard US visa application fee, while the industry is fighting a proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee and proposed expanded social-media requirements. Separately, travellers from designated visa-bond countries can face bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when directed by a consular officer. The Newark surcharge is comparatively small, but it adds another layer to the total cost of an international US journey.

California: Airport Rental-Car Charge Ceiling Rises

California increased the permitted ceiling for an alternative airport rental-car customer facility charge from $9 to as much as $12 per day from 1 January 2026 at qualifying facilities. The change does not mean every California airport automatically imposes a $12 charge, but it allows higher collection where the statutory mechanism applies. For international tourists planning California road trips, this potentially adds to an already complex travel budget. Before reaching the rental counter, some visitors may be watching the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, possible expanded social-media requirements for Visa Waiver Program travellers and the existing visa-bond programme affecting designated nationalities. Those applicants can be directed to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. California therefore demonstrates how federal entry requirements and destination-level transport charges can accumulate during one journey.

Georgia: Hall County Hotel Tax Rises From 5% to 8%

Georgia’s 2026 accommodation increase is concentrated in Hall County, where the hotel and motel excise tax rose from 5% to 8% on 1 July. The three-percentage-point increase applies locally and should not be described as a statewide Georgia hotel-tax increase. Nevertheless, it adds another cost for visitors using hotels, motels and qualifying short-term accommodation in the county. International travellers may encounter this local charge after navigating an increasingly complicated federal entry-policy landscape. That landscape includes the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, proposed expansion of social-media data requirements and an operational visa-bond programme under which affected B1/B2 applicants from designated countries can be required to post $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. The Georgia example shows how relatively small local tourism taxes can combine with much larger federal costs and requirements.

North Carolina: New Vehicle-Sharing Tax Arrives in October

North Carolina will introduce another important traveller cost from 1 October 2026, when short-term vehicles rented through peer-to-peer sharing providers become subject to an 8% alternate highway use tax plus applicable local taxation. The change brings app-based vehicle sharing closer to the taxation applied to traditional short-term rental vehicles. International tourists using these services for Blue Ridge Mountain drives, coastal journeys or other road trips will consequently need to factor additional taxation into their transport budgets. At the federal level, visitors are also confronting uncertainty surrounding the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee and proposed social-media requirements, while designated B1/B2 visa applicants already face possible $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 bonds. North Carolina therefore represents another example of destination-level travel costs accumulating alongside changing federal entry requirements.

Federal Entry Policies Add Another Layer Above State Costs

The state changes are important, but federal policies potentially have much greater reach because they can affect travellers before they reach any US destination.

$250 Visa Integrity Fee Remains a Major Industry Concern

The proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee is one of the biggest concerns for the US inbound travel industry.

It is important, however, not to tell travellers that they are already paying it. U.S. Travel states that the proposed fee has not been implemented, and the current visa application fee remains $185.

U.S. Travel has been campaigning against the measure, arguing that making America more expensive to enter could discourage international visitors precisely when the country is competing for global tourism demand.

The association estimates that the fee could discourage nearly one million visitors and cost approximately $9 billion in spending if implemented.

That potential loss would ultimately be felt at state level through fewer hotel bookings, attraction visits, restaurant purchases, rental cars and retail spending.

Mandatory Social-Media Requirements Could Add More Friction

Social-media screening represents another potential barrier, but its status also needs careful wording.

U.S. Travel says proposed requirements for Visa Waiver Program travellers to provide social-media information could add friction to the US entry process. It estimates the policy could cost the country 4.7 million visitors and $15.7 billion in spending.

This should therefore be described as a proposed expanded requirement, not as something already mandatory for every visitor.

The concern for tourism is broader than money. Travellers also make destination choices according to convenience, predictability and how comfortable they feel with entry procedures.

A complicated authorisation process can therefore act as a deterrent even when its direct financial cost is relatively small.

Visa Bonds of Up to $15,000 Are Already a Reality

Unlike the proposed $250 Visa Integrity Fee, visa bonds are already operational for designated nationalities.

The US Department of State currently lists dozens of countries whose nationals, when travelling on passports issued by those countries and found otherwise eligible for B1/B2 visas, must post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. The amount is determined during the visa interview.

Affected countries include Bangladesh, Nigeria, Nepal, Algeria, Angola, Bhutan, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Mauritius, Namibia, Nicaragua, Senegal, Seychelles, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others.

Applicants should pay only when directed by a consular officer and through the US government’s official payment process.

The bond is therefore potentially a much larger upfront financial requirement than either a visa application fee or a destination tourism tax.

How Different Charges Could Stack Up During One US Trip

Why These Costs Matter to Every State Tourism Economy

The biggest concern is not necessarily one individual tax.

An international traveller may first pay a visa or ESTA cost. Some may face a substantial visa bond. They then purchase airline tickets before encountering accommodation taxes, airport charges, rental-car taxes and other local costs after arrival.

That cumulative burden can affect destination competitiveness.

Hawaii depends heavily on long-haul tourism. California and New York are international gateways. Florida draws enormous leisure demand. Texas has major aviation hubs. Nevada relies extensively on visitor spending.

Federal policies that discourage an international traveller from making the journey therefore have economic consequences far beyond Washington.

U.S. Travel reported that 68 million international visitors travelled to the United States in 2025, while simultaneously warning that policies increasing the cost or complexity of travel could weaken future growth.

America Faces a Balance Between Revenue Security and Tourism Growth

The United States is trying to achieve several objectives simultaneously.

Federal authorities want strong border security and effective traveller vetting. States and local governments need revenue for infrastructure, environmental programmes and public services. Tourism authorities, hotels, airlines, airports and attractions, meanwhile, want America to remain internationally competitive.

Those objectives can come into conflict when travellers face multiple new costs.

The $250 Visa Integrity Fee remains a proposal. Expanded social-media requirements for Visa Waiver Program travellers also remain a policy concern rather than a universal existing requirement. Visa bonds, however, are already being required for designated B1/B2 applicants from listed countries.

At destination level, meanwhile, taxes and charges in Hawaii, Washington, Newark, California, Hall County and soon North Carolina are already changing what some travellers pay.

For the US travel industry, the central question is becoming increasingly clear: how many additional costs and entry requirements can be added before international travellers begin choosing competing destinations instead?

Hawaii Teams Up With New Jersey and more in implementing new travel charges and mandatory social media reviews to recover US tourism revenue, as higher accommodation, rental-car fees and proposed entry measures reshape the cost and complexity of visiting America in 2026.

In conclusion, Hawaii Teams Up With New Jersey and more in implementing new travel charges and mandatory social media reviews to recover US tourism revenue, highlighting a broader shift in how destinations are managing tourism costs and visitor policies in 2026. While states are introducing higher accommodation, rental-car and local charges to support revenue needs, proposed mandatory social media reviews and other entry measures are creating new considerations for international travellers. The challenge for the US tourism industry will be balancing revenue generation, security priorities and maintaining global competitiveness as visitors compare the overall cost and ease of travelling to America.