See the US Tourism numbers in 2023

This week, the United States welcomes operators and travel agents from all over the world to IPW 2024, in Los Angeles, and is already aware of a major challenge: the country has not yet recovered the number of foreign tourists seen in 2019, pre-pandemic, and The forecast is that this will only happen in 2025. In other words, pressure from all sides and a lot of work to show the products and news to international buyers (including around 75 from Brazil).

The country is also dealing with the change of command at Brand USA (promotion body abroad), which will have Fred Dixon, known for his work in New York Tourism, replacing Chris Thompson, who before Brand USA worked in Tourism from Florida.

And this week, the United States Bureau of Travel and Tourism released the final 2023 numbers.

Total international visitor arrivals to the United States in 2023 were 66.5 millionstill below the 79.4 million tourists received in 2019. The number is 31% (or 15.7 million) higher than the 50.8 million received in 2022, a year still impacted by restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the most recent forecast from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), the United States will only reach pre-pandemic numbers of foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, with 85.2 million. For 2024 the prognosis is still lower than the 2019 data.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the United States

• 2019: 79.5 million
• 2022: 50.9 million
• 2023: 66.5 million
• 2024: 77.7 million (forecast)
• 2025: 85.2 million (forecast)
• 2026: 91.1 million (forecast)
• 2027: 94.6 million (forecast)
• 2028: 96.8 million (forecast)

Source: NTTO

In other words, in the next 5 years, including 2024, the United States will not reach the desired mark of 100 million visitors, promised since the Barack Obama government.

Brazil reaches 2 million in 2024

Brazilians added 1.62 million tourists to the United States in 2023, fourth largest nationality classified as overseas (long distance).

Tourists in the United States in 2023

• Total: 66.5 million
• Overseas (long distance): 31.4 million
• Canada: 20.5 million
• Mexico: 14.5 million

Top senders (excluding Canada and Mexico) of tourists to the USA in 2023:

1. United Kingdom: 3.9 million
2. Germany: 1.8 million
3. India: 1.76 million
4. BRAZIL: 1.62 million (or 1/3 of the total in South America: 4.8 million
5. South Korea: 1.6 million
6. France: 1.59 million
7. Japan: 1.5 million
8. China: 1 million
9. Italy: 976 thousand
10. Australia: 9.54 thousand

Other South Americans in the Top 20 include Colombia in 11th place, with 932 thousand, Argentina (13th, with 596 thousand), Ecuador (16th) and Chile (18th).

Brazilian tourists in the USA

• 2019: 2.1 million
• 2022: 1.2 million
• 2023: 1.62 million
• 2024: 2.01 million (forecast)
• 2025: 2.2 million (forecast, surpassing 2019)
• 2026: 2.4 million
• 2027: 2.5 million
• 2028: 2.55 million

In 2024

Previous figures already available for 2024 show that, from January to March, Brazil sent 456 thousand tourists to the United States, ranking second, behind only the United Kingdom (820 thousand) and ahead of India (444 thousand).

This and other data about the Travel and Tourism market in Brazil will be in the publication PANROTAS Brazilian Overview 2024/25, which PANROTAS will distribute at IPW 2024 and which is now available on the PANROTAS Portal – in English. CLICK HERE TO READ or SEE BELOW.

New York leads in international arrivals

New York was the most visited state by long-distance foreign travelers in 2023, rising from second place in 2022, followed by Florida and California, which shows the recovery of the destination, especially New York City, the most visited in the United States by foreigners in general. Miami and Los Angeles come next.

Also counting Mexicans and Canadians, Florida comes first and New York second.

Some States surpassed 2019 data last year: Puerto Rico (+85%), Tennessee (+15%), Texas (+7%) and Georgia (+5%).

Top entry gates for foreigners in the USA

1. New York, 5.8 million
2. Miami, 4.4 million
3. Los Angeles, 3.3 million
4. San Francisco, 1.9 million
5. Newark, 1.7 million (which can also be added to the NY account)
6. Orlando, 1.5 million
7. Chicago, 1.46 million
8. Houston, 1.2 million
9. Dallas, 1 million
10. Honolulu, 1 million
11. Washington, DC, 1 million
12. Atlanta, 1 million
13. Fort Lauderdale, 965 thousand
14. Boston, 888 thousand
15. Las Vegas, 637 thousand

Top states most visited by foreigners in general

1. Florida, 6.9 million
2. New York, 5.6 million
3. California, 4.9 million
4. Texas, 1.8 million
5. Hawaii, 1 million

Unfavorable balance

If the level of visitors from abroad is still at 84% of pre-pandemic levels, American trips abroad reached 99% of 2019 last year, showing an enormous desire and willingness to travel. In total, 98.5 million Americans visited international destinations in 2023, up 22% from 2022.

With this gap between visits and trips by Americans, the country’s tourism balance closed negative at US$ 2.3 billion. In other words, Americans spent more money abroad than foreign tourists in the United States. Even more than in 2019. Tourism ended 2023 in the United States, representing 7% of exports of goods and services in the country.

Visitor spending

International visitor spending in the United States (travel exports) totaled $213.1 billion in 2023, an increase of $47.6 billion (+29%) over the $165.5 billion in 2022. This represents 89% of travel exports in 2019.

Spending by US residents Abroad (travel imports) totaled $215.4 billion in 2023, an increase of $53.5 billion (+33%) from $161.9 billion in 2022. And 17% above 2019.

Travel generated a trade deficit of 2.3 billion dollars in 2023.

Brazilian profile

According to NTTO research, Brazilians spent an average of 19 days in the United States last year; 74% stayed in hotels and 35% in rental homes.

Among those who responded to the NTTO survey, 54.5% said they were traveling alone25.3% with their partner and 22% with their family.

The average age of Brazilians who visited the United States was 42.5 years for men and 43.2 years for women.

They spent US$4,000 per person on the land package and US$1,100 on the air package.

Among the activities carried out in the United States:

• 87.2% made purchases
• 76.7% took trips
• 50% visited theme parks
• And 33.6% visited monuments and natural parks.
• Other highlighted activities show that 14.2% attended shows or musicals and 16.7% went to sporting events. And 20% invested in good dinners and lunches.

While the travel decision for those who visited the United States was made 93 days in advance, among Brazilians this number was 116 days. Brazilians’ air reservations were made 79 days in advance, compared to 69 for the average foreign traveler in the USA.

The NTTO also launched a tool to show the impact of Tourism from 77 countries individually on the American economy. See the compilation from Brazil below. And see the tool here.

Source: NTTO

PANROTAS travels at the invitation of the US Travel Association, flying United Airlines and with GTA protection. PANROTAS has a booth at IPW 2024, where it will distribute the Brazilian Overview and hold meetings with partners from the United States.