Tourists to the U.S. Set a New Spending Record Last Year
Photo Credit: International travel spending in the U.S. barely grew last year. Pictured are tourists in Central Park in New York City. Flickr / PRORegan Vercruysse
Skift Take
The increased spending in areas outside of retail and other traditional expenses is a good indicator of how international travelers in the U.S. are prioritizing their spending as we get deeper into 2017.
International visitors to the United States spent more in 2016 than they did in 2015, despite the strength of the U.S. dollar against many foreign currencies and a slowing of international visitors.
The $247.1 billion international travelers spent in the U.S. last year is a 0.4 percent increase from the $246.2 billion they spent in 2015, according to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.
This growth comes despite the stagnating growth of international arrivals to the U.S. throughout 2016, and as international visitors spent more than $2 billion less on airfares in 2016 than they did the year before (a 5.9 percent decrease).
Slower spending growt
