International Tourism to the United States Dropped in 2016
Photo Credit: Foreign visits to the U.S. in 2016 began to drop off after last summer. Pictured are tourists in boats at Central Park in New York City. Skift
Skift Take
Many travel brands had said last year was tough as full-year international visits to the U.S. decreased in 2016 for the first time since 2009. We’ll need to wait until this time next year to see if this is a hiccup or a new trend.
International tourism to the United States had been on an ascent over the past seven years as many economies recovered from the global recession of 2008 and 2009. But last year, that mountain of momentum hit a descent as nearly two million fewer international visitors traveled to the U.S. in 2016.
Last year, 75.6 million international arrivals (Canada, Mexico, and overseas) visited U.S. destinations, a 2.4 percent (more than 1.8 million) decrease in such arrivals from 2015, according to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office and U.S. Department of Commerce. The last year inbound tourism declined was 2009.
Only three of the top 10 countries for international visitation – Mexico, China, and South Korea – had more arrivals year-over-year. Some 81.9 percent represented leisure visits and 13.9 percent represented business travel.
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