Despite 'Travel Ban' the US Saw the Most International Visitors Ever
Even though 2017's headlines rocked the world with a "travel ban" in the US, the country still saw the highest number of international visitors than it ever has before.
The US National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) announced on Tuesday that almost 77 million international visitors entered the United States in 2017. That's a .7% percent increase from the previous year.
International travelers reportedly spent a record $251.4 billion on travel expenses within the US like hotels and food — a 2% increase from 2016.
Visits from abroad dipped in 2016 after a seven-year run of increases. Many in media and the travel industry placed the blame on harsh rhetoric against Mexicans and Muslims by then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
They have a point though, visits from the Middle East and Mexico were significantly down in 2017. Mexicans citizens visited 6% less, and people from Middle Eastern countries came 12% less often.
Growing markets were led by a variety of nations:
- South Korea (+17.8 percent)
- Brazil (+11 percent)
- Argentina (+10 percent)
- Ireland (+9 percent)
- Canada (+4.8 percent)
"The United States enjoys a trade surplus of more than $77.4 billion for travel and tourism, and these exports help support more than 1.2 million American jobs," said US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "U.S. travel and tourism-related exports accounted for nearly 32 percent of all U.S. services exports and 11 percent of all U.S. exports, goods, and services alike."
In April, the NTTO and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped publishing arrivals data due to anomalies that misclassified 4.5 million records. Isabel Hill, director of the NTTO, said that kiosks at airports where international travelers scanned their passports were incorrectly counting residency instead of citizenship. Hill says the agency is confident its resolved the issue.
Roger Dow, chief executive of the US Travel Association, told the LA Times that although international visits are growing, they aren't on pace with the rest of the world.
"U.S. market share has eroded, which means we are not adequately harnessing global travel growth to keep adding jobs and exports to the U.S. balance sheet," said Dow.
H/T: Skift
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.