Skift Travel News Blog

International traveler spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. totaled $19 billion in August 2023, its highest level since the pandemic hit in 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. August international traveler spending, however, was still below its 2019 pre-pandemic total of $19.6 billion.

International traveler spending on strictly goods and services like recreation, lodging and foot totaled $10.6 billion in August, down from $11.5 billion for the same month in 2019.

Between January and August, total international traveler spending amounted to over $137.7 billion on travel and tourism-related goods and services, up more than 33% from the same period in 2022. That translated into nearly $567 million spending per day on average.

In August, Americans traveling abroad spent over $17.2 billion, up from $14.9 billion in August 2019.

International inbound travelers spent nearly $16.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. in March, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, up more than 49 percent year over year.

International traveler purchases of food, entertainment, gifts and other travel and tourism-related goods and services totaled $9.7 billion in March 2023, up nearly 77 percent year over year.

Americans traveling abroad spent a record $17.4 billion. Last month, Americans also spent a record $17.4 billion traveling abroad.

For the month of March, the U.S. experienced a travel trade deficit of $572 million. Out of seven of the last eleven months, the U.S. has run a travel trade deficit, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. Prior to July 2021, the U.S. never recorded a monthly travel trade deficit.  

To date this year, international travelers have spent nearly $49.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services, up 61 percent year over year. International visitors have injected, on average, more than $545 million a day into the U.S. economy year to date.

Americans spent $17.4 billion traveling abroad in February, a record for the U.S., according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. 

International visitors to the U.S. spent nearly $16.9 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, a 64 percent year over year increase. On travel and tourism-related goods and services like entertainment and food specifically, international visitors spent $9.5 billion in February, up 97 percent year over year.

Compared to American travel spending abroad, the U.S. recorded a monthly deficit of more than $480 million, meaning more money flowed out than in on travel and tourism-related activities in February. Prior to July 2021, the U.S. never recorded a monthly deficit. Since then, the U.S. has run a deficit for ten of the last 20 months, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Americans traveling abroad spent over $15.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, other countries in January, more than any single month prior to the pandemic, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.

International visitors spent over $14.7 billion in January on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S., causing the U.S. to experience a balance of trade deficit of nearly $1.1 billion in travel spending. That’s the third time in the past six months that the U.S. experienced a monthly trade deficit in travel spending. Compared to January 2021, international visitor spending rose nearly 64 percent in January.

Spending on travel and tourism-related goods and services, which include lodging and entertainment, totaled $7.9 billion in January, down from $11.5 billion for the same period in 2019.

International inbound travelers spent nearly $163 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2022, up 96 percent from 2021, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest monthly data. On average, international travelers spent more than $445 million a day in 2022.

The month of December saw international spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. reach $16.5 billion, up nearly 49 percent year over year and the single highest month since February 2020, when the pandemic struck. The previous high went to November 2022, when spending hit $15.9 billion.

The U.S. ended up with a travel trade surplus in December. American traveler spending abroad amounted to more than $15.5 billion, yielding a surplus of $932 million. The U.S. also had a travel trade surplus in November and October.

International traveler spending on lodging, recreation and other goods and services inside the U.S. totaled $9.1 billion in December, up 68 percent year over year but down from $11.8 billion in December 2019.

Despite rising household expenses, nearly 60 percent of European travelers won’t cut back on traveling or spending on trips in the next six months, according to a survey by the European Travel Commission.

The commission surveyed over 6,000 European travelers in December 2022 who took at least 2 overnight trips during the last three years.

Europeans are worried about their rising living expenses, but they are not cutting back their spending. Even as energy costs and basic necessities rise, travel is the only discretionary expense people are determined to keep, according to the European Travel Commission. About 59 percent plan to spend the same on travel as last year in the first half of 2023 (below).

Nearly 40 percent plan to spend 4 to 6 nights at a destination, up 6 percent from a year ago. Between 500 and 1,500 euros is the most common allocated budget.

It also seems higher airfares also won’t stop travelers from flying. Around 54 percent of travelers still plan to fly, up 10 percent for the same period last year. A Skift megatrend for 2023 is that airlines will have an easy time generating revenue from higher airfares. 

At destinations, however, travelers will reallocate their spending. Nearly 20 percent will reduce their shopping, 16 percent will book cheaper accommodation and 15 percent will pay for self-catering or less pricey restaurants, according to the European Travel Commission.

About 58 percent of European travelers plan to take multiple trips and 75 percent plan to take at least one trip before June 2023. In fact, 44 percent of European travelers have fully or partly booked their upcoming trip, a 7 percent year over year increase. 

In addition, Europeans are determined to cross borders for their trips in 2023. Visiting another country is the preferred choice of 63 percent of European travelers, up 13 percent from last year. Interest in domestic tourism dropped to 25 percent— its lowest level since August 2020.

About 72 percent of Europeans will travel for leisure, while 15 percent will visit friends or relatives, 7 percent will attend an event and 5 percent will take a business trip.