International Traveler Spending Reached Highest Level Since Pandemic
Skift Take
Key Points
- International traveler spending in the U.S. reached $17.5 billion in May, the highest since the pandemic began.
- From January to May, international traveler spending totaled $84.7 billion, a 41% increase from 2022.
- Americans spent $17 billion abroad in May, contributing to a $530 million travel trade surplus.
Summary
In May, international traveler spending in the U.S. reached $17.5 billion, the highest monthly level since the pandemic began, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. From January to May, spending totaled $84.7 billion, a 41% increase from 2022. Spending categories such as lodging, food, and recreation amounted to $9.7 billion in May. Meanwhile, Americans spent $17 billion abroad, resulting in a $530 million travel trade surplus.
In May, international traveler spending in the U.S. reached its highest point of monthly spending since the pandemic started in February 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. International travelers spent more than $17.5 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S., up 26% from May 2022.
Between January and May, international traveler spending totaled $84.7 billion, up 41% from 2022. On average, international travelers are now injecting around $561 million a day into the U.S. economy.
Spending on lodging, food, recreation and other travel and tourism-related goods and services amounted to $9.7 billion, up from $7.2 billion in May 2022.
Americans traveling abroad spent around $17 billion in May, which combined with total international traveler spending, gives the U.S. a travel trade surplus of $530 million.
Photo Credit: Times Square in New York City. Unsplash / Nelson Ndongala
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