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International travel to the U.S. was in a slump for much of 2016 but foreign visitor spending in the U.S. is still up year-to-date and for November 2016, according to monthly statistics released this week by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.
International travelers visiting the U.S. in November spent nearly $21.1 billion, an increase of two percent ($414 million) from November 2015. The average foreign visitor spent about $703 per day in November on transportation, souvenirs and other tourist related expenses.
This comes after international visitor spending in the U.S. took a $4 billion tumble in 2015.
International visitors to the U.S. spent $225.9 billion in the U.S. between January and November 2016, a 0.1 increase over record-breaking levels of spending last year. Conversely, Americans spent an estimated $145.3 billion on international travel during the same timeframe.
In November, foreign visitors spent some $13.2 billion on goods and services that include food, accommodations, activities, local transportation and souvenirs; $3.3 billion on airfare (four percent decrease over November 2015) and $4.6 billion on medical, education and short-term worker related travel. Passenger airfare receipts declined nearly seven percent between January and November 2016 due to lower fuel prices, said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Ken Hyatt, in a statement.
Health-related and educational tourism has consistently grown during the past few years and was up 11 percent year-over-year for November and up more than 12 percent for January to November.
As of July 2016, the most recent month for which data is available, some 42.8 million international travelers had visited the U.S. (including those from Canada and Mexico) — a 2.4 percent decrease from January to July 2015. While fewer international travelers visited the U.S. last year based on available data, the travelers who did visit made trips in spite of a stronger dollar and likely had higher spending power or more disposable income to flirt with for international travel.
The full statistics can be found below:
International Visitor Spending in the U.S. for November 2016
Source: skift.com