Skift Take
If the U.S. can't get Chinese tourists back, it will have to up its game attracting tourists from other international markets to make up for the spending shortfall.
International travel to the U.S. has not returned to its 2019 peak, though some markets are doing better than others. Germany, for example, likely needs another year to recover, while India should exceed it this year, said Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson. None of that, however, will be enough to make up for the loss of China.
Thompson spoke with Skift at the Destinations International Annual Conference about why the U.S.’s travel industry can’t make a full recovery without China, what Brand USA is doing with $250 million in federal relief funds help to jumpstart international tourism, and how the U.S. can stay globally competitive as destinations in Asia improve their tourist infrastructure and marketing.
Skift spoke with several CEOs of the destination marketing organizations from top U.S. tourist destinations. Among the top issues:
Securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup final game. The damage visa delays do to international marketing. Replacing the loss of Chinese tourist spending. Where they are investing their federal Covid relief funds. Supporting return-to-office policies to revitalize downtowns and more.Below are excerpts from Skift's interview with Thompson:
The Missing Chinese Tourist Problem
Skift: How's international travel to the U.S. doing compared to 2019 levels?
Thompson: As far as our return to 2019 numbers, certain markets are really strong and coming back. So by the end of this year, I think Canada and India will be beyond 2019 levels. Germany and France probably have the next best chance in 2024 to get back to pre-2019 levels. Japan and South Korea are probably going to be the last to come back.
Tourism Economics,