Year-To-Date Update: International Visitation, Spending, and Market Highlights
International Visitation and Spending | January - July 2024
July Visitation
The most recent data show July arrivals surpassing 2023 levels for nearly all top 10 overseas markets, with France being the notable exception. While year-over-year arrivals from France through June were 15% higher than the last year, July visitation was 1% below 2023. This change in trend may be a result of French travelers opting to attend the Paris Olympics over a trip to the USA in July.
YTD Visitation
International visitation to the U.S. from the top 100 overseas markets increased 17% year-over-year in the first seven months of 2024 (Source: Department of Commerce - NTTO, August 2024). Among the top 100 markets, 88 had higher visitation than in the same period last year and 40 had year-to-date visitation in 2024 surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Total visitation from these 100 markets in January through July was 85% of 2019 levels.
| Top 10 overseas countries |
YTD Arrivals (Jan.-July) |
% Change from 2023 |
| United Kingdom |
2,195,090 |
4.5% |
| India |
1,313,758 |
35.1% |
| Germany |
1,080,044 |
12.6% |
| Brazil |
1,063,607 |
24.4% |
| South Korea |
996,777 |
14.0% |
| Japan |
981,515 |
40.5% |
| France |
972,134 |
11.8% |
| China |
903,539 |
73.5% |
| Colombia |
588,264 |
21.4% |
| Australia |
568,422 |
10.7% |
| Source: Department of Commerce - NTTO, August 2024 |
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Market Highlights
China had the fastest growth rate of the 100 largest overseas markets, with visitation increasing by 73% year-over-year. This growth also represented the highest absolute increase in arrivals, adding 341,129 more visitors compared to the same period last year. Visitation from India already surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and strong growth continued in January through July of 2024. Arrivals from India in the first seven months of 2024 were 43% above the same period in 2019.
Two countries that appear to lead in terms of pandemic recovery are Poland and Croatia. Year-to-date visitation from these markets exceeds 2019 levels by 64% and 50%, respectively. A key factor driving this remarkable growth is the entry of these two countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Poland joined the VWP in November of 2019 and Croatia in October of 2021. Visitors from these countries can now travel to the USA without having to apply for a visa. This significantly reduces barriers to travel and positively impacts international visitation to the USA.
International Spending: January - July 2024
Travel and Tourism exports in July reached $21.1 billion, a 12% increase over July 2023 (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Travel and Tourism Office, September 2024). In five of the seven first months of 2024, monthly Travel and Tourism exports surpassed $21 billion, a level that was never reached pre-pandemic. This also marks the 13th consecutive month with a Travel Balance of Trade surplus. The last deficit was in June 2023, when international spending by U.S. citizens abroad exceeded spending by international visitors in the U.S.