A Record Number of Americans Traveled Abroad in 2015
Skift Take
It turns out more Americans than ever flew to Europe and Mexico last year despite security fears.
Undaunted by global security concerns, international travel by U.S. citizens reached a record high in 2015, according to the National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO).
Travel to Europe, the Caribbean and Asia was most popular outside of North America, while travel to the Middle East saw the greatest year-over-year increase in popularity.
Inside North America, travel to Mexico far exceeded travel to Canada by both air and ground transportation.
Africa was the only region to see negative growth, with travel dropping 2.1 percent over the year. Check out the chart below for further details.
| Regions | TOTAL 2015 Travelers | % CHANGE YOY | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 12,598,860 | 5.9% | 17.2% |
| Caribbean | 7,648,197 | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| Asia | 4,842,660 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| South America | 1,869,463 | 5.5% | 2.5% |
| Central America | 2,790,865 | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Oceania | 643,485 | 7.0% | 0.9% |
| Middle East | 2,045,251 | 14.9% | 2.8% |
| Africa | 350,572 | -2.1% | 0.5% |
| Total Overseas (2) | 32,789,353 | 6.5% | 44.6% |
| Mexico (Total) (3)(P) | 28,195,381 | 8.9% | 38.4% |
| Mexico (Air) (2) | 7,993,665 | 15.3% | (6) |
| Canada (Total) (4) | 12,468,380 | 8.3% | 17.0% |
| Canada (Air) (4) | 3,633,045 | 6.5% | (6) |
| North America | 40,663,761 | 8.7% | 55.4% |
| Grand Total | 73,453,114 | 7.7% | 100.0% |
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