Skift Take
It's great for the global tourism economy's recovery that Americans are traveling again like they did before the pandemic. The U.S. now needs international visitors to travel back again into its country at their pre-pandemic level.
Over 8 million Americans traveled abroad in May, representing 99% of its pre-pandemic volume in May 2019, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.
About 36 million Americans traveled abroad between January and May, up 35% from the same period last year. Overseas destinations – i.e. not Mexico and Canada – made up 50% of international travel.
When it comes to international inbound travel in May, 5.4 million visitors came to the U.S., representing 80% of its pre-Covid volume and up 26% from for the same month last year. In April, over 5.5 million international travelers came to the U.S.
International visitors with a visa for “pleasure,” i.e. tourism, totaled 2.2 million in May, down from 2.3 million in April this year and 2.9 million in 2019.
In the first five months of this year, the U.S. received 25 million international travelers, up 52% from the same period last year. Overseas travelers totaled 11 million in that period, a 47% rise from last year.
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Tags: international travel
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