Dan Peltier

There will likely be many changes to this ranking as 2016 numbers are finalized as some of the most-visited cities experienced weaker currencies or violence last year. Keep in mind, however, that some of these cities base their data on airport arrivals who don't actually step foot from the airport and experience the destination.

While fewer international travelers visited the U.S. last year based on available data, the travelers who did visit made trips in spite of a stronger dollar and likely had higher spending power or more disposable income to flirt with for international travel.

Although the term arrival is somewhat ambiguous and different destinations have their own definitions for what counts as an arrival, it's clear some European destinations had a tough year convincing international travelers to visit and Western Europe bore the brunt of that.

Few other presidents have done as much for the U.S. travel industry as President Obama and by many measures he will hand Donald Trump a healthy and growing industry. But some of the Obama Administration's tourism goals — programs and initiatives — while steps in the right direction, still leave plenty to be desired and require renewed efforts.

Montreal's use of targeted advertising on Facebook, however, and the use of William Shatner is a smart example of how to go after key markets.

We're still in the early days of 360-degree video but consumers who have tried it out are excited to try more. This video format could help keep brands more honest in their marketing and help travelers manage their expectations.

While influencers help many brands break into communities they want to reach, travel brands shouldn't forget that ordinary travelers also post millions of photos and videos that help people decide where to book their trips.

While some entrepreneurs argue that speech, not messaging, is the future of how consumers will communicate with technology, Lola's CEO and co-founder Paul English told Skift last year that messaging is more popular than talking and Lola's latest investment will help it continue to test whether this is true with travelers.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

As much as we wish 2016 was a thing of the past, we took a look at the U.S. travel jobs growth for last year and found that while it wasn't all bad news -- and many jobs were added -- that growth wasn't as robust as the previous year because of global events and a litany of other factors.