New Economic Forecast Highlights Growth of International Visits to U.S.

Right in time for IPW, the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) shared updated forecasts that affirm the resurgence of international visits to the United States. According to NTTO, there were 66.5 million international visits the U.S. in 2023, reflecting 31% annual growth, but still at just 84% of pre-pandemic inbound visitation levels.

Looking ahead, international inbound visits to the U.S. are expected to continue to rebound. In 2024, a 17% increase is forecast to 77.7 million, just 2% shy of the 79.4 million in 2019 prior to COVID’s impact.

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International visitors are vital to the U.S. economy. Visitors from many countries spend an average of over $4,000 per visit, and collectively contribute $155 billion in U.S. travel spending every year. International visits also help balance the U.S. trade deficit, as travel spending is one of the biggest export services for the United States. 

The NTTO figures also shed light on which countries and regions are visiting the U.S. the most, and the markets that continue to lag. During Q1 of 2024, visits from Europe and the Americas (including the Caribbean) already exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The Middle East and Africa have recovered to 90% of 2019 levels. But visits from Asia continue to lag significantly—with visits from China and Japan still only half of 2019 levels, resulting in 4 million fewer visitors annually. NTTO forecasts that visits from those countries won’t fully recover until late 2025 or 2026. India, on the other hand, had terrific growth and already significantly exceeded pre-pandemic visitor levels.

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Just like the NTTO visitor data, IPW registrations show signs of strength, with a more than 20% increase in attendance from IPW 2023. Further, registrations from China and Japan have more than doubled compared with last year, and India is up over 50%.

These figures highlight the importance of U.S. Travel’s IPW—a critical opportunity to drive future international travel to the United States (the top international destination). The conference is responsible for $5.5 billion in future travel spending in the U.S. This year, 5,700 delegates are convening in  Los Angeles—including over 2,000 international media and buyers from nearly 70 countries.