The U.S. Tourist Was a Vital Element to Global Tourism Growth in 2016
Photo Credit: The Rolling Stones with American fan Alex Emanuel, second from left, at the Rolling Stones Exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery as part of a tourism promotion. London & Partners
Skift Take
A stronger U.S. dollar isn't the only reason why more Americans are traveling abroad, but when your money goes further than it has in nearly a decade the world is certainly your oyster.
With a stronger dollar behind it, the U.S. was one of the largest foreign markets for several of the world's most-visited cities in 2015.
Some of these cities -- a few which are ultra long-haul destinations from the U.S. -- have seen double-digit growth from U.S. arrivals and expect that momentum to continue.
Skift reviewed 2015 international tourist arrivals data from tourism boards and tourism ministries for several of the world's most-visited cities by international travelers. We compared changes in visitor arrivals data across these cities since 2014, and found the U.S. market was one of the largest for many of these cities and showed notable growth.
London, for example, had a 10.5 percent increase from 2014 to 2015 in its U.S. arrivals. The U.S. is London's largest foreign market, with 2.1 million Americans visiting the UK capital last year. Last year, London welcomed a record 18.6 million international tourists and it was the first year the city surpassed the 18 million
