U.S. Tourism Office Blocks Release of International Visitor Data
Photo Credit: The U.S. travel industry shouldn't expect more international arrivals data for the time being. Pictured are international arrivals at a U.S. Customs line. U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Josh Denmark
Skift Take
We never like to see public records withheld, even if they might show faulty data. To see the travel industry praise such a move is disappointing as it will only cause more headaches for the foreseeable future.
The U.S. National Travel & Tourism Office announced Monday afternoon that it would not release any new data on international arrivals to the United States until technical issues are resolved, according to a statement from the agency.
Data is only currently available through September 2017, when international arrivals were down 5 percent year-over-year and 3.8 percent year-to-date. Canadian arrivals were up more than 4 percent for September and year-to-date, but Mexico and overseas arrivals fell more than 6 percent for the month and first three quarters.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a significant number of records with technical issues, the statement said, and no new arrivals will be reported until the records in question are properly identified, categorized, and counted.
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