U.S. Travel Abroad Set New Record in 2016 Because of Stronger Dollar
Photo Credit: U.S. travelers took more than 80 million trips abroad in 2016. Pictured are travelers outside of Buckingham Palace in London. Flickr / Dave Collier
Skift Take
Many travel brands were sweetening their deals for U.S. travelers last year to encourage them to take advantage of their dollars going further. The deals have remained pretty sweet this year, too, as countries like Canada and the UK are already reporting record U.S. visits.
U.S. travelers had plenty of reasons to take an international trip last year.
A stronger U.S. dollar, the UK's Brexit vote, and the growth of low-cost, long-haul carriers are only a few of the big reasons why U.S. arrivals in overseas destinations increased seven percent year-over-year in 2016 and grew nine percent for Mexico and Canada, according to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office and U.S. Department of Commerce.
More than 80 million Americans went to Canada, Mexico or another overseas destination in 2016 – a record high and an 8 percent increase over 2015, the Commerce Department reported.
Many European destinations were winners in the U.S. outbound travel market last year as some 13.6 million Americans visited the continent, an 8 percent jump.
VisitBritain, the national tourism board for the UK ran marketing campaigns aimed at U.S. travelers last year to capitalize on Brexit's impact on the pound, which made the country more affordable for Amer
