Data & insight · Updated August 2026
US Tourism Statistics
How many people visit the United States, where they come from, what they spend and where they go — the latest official figures, drawn from the National Travel and Tourism Office, the BEA, the National Park Service and the WTTC. Headline numbers are for 2024, the most recent full year.
Inbound visitors
International visitors to the US
International arrivals recovered to about 91% of their 2019 peak in 2024, after the pandemic collapse. Figures here are total arrivals, which include the large Canada and Mexico land-border markets.
Total international arrivals (NTTO I-94), including Canada and Mexico. On an overseas-only basis — excluding those two land-border markets — 2024 arrivals were 35.2m. The 2020–21 totals are approximate.
Source NTTO — National Travel & Tourism Office — I-94 arrivals program & Survey of International Air Travelers, 2024. total-arrivals basis
Visitor spending
What international visitors spend
Foreign visitors generated an estimated record of about $252 billion in US travel and tourism exports in 2024 — the country’s single largest services export. Figures are nominal.
ITA/BEA travel & tourism exports (includes passenger fares); 2024 is preliminary. U.S. Travel Association’s narrower “international visitor spending” measure is lower (~$155–181bn) — a definitional difference.
Source BEA / ITA — Travel & Tourism exports — U.S. travel & tourism exports and Satellite Account (2024 preliminary). travel-exports basis
Source markets
Where the US's visitors come from
Canada and Mexico dwarf every other market thanks to land-border travel. The United Kingdom is the largest overseas market; India is the standout, already about 50% above its 2019 level. Bars show 2024 arrivals; the muted figure is recovery vs 2019.
Source NTTO — National Travel & Tourism Office — I-94 arrivals program & Survey of International Air Travelers, 2024. I-94 arrivals; Canada/Mexico on total basis
Why they come
Purpose of visit
Leisure dominates: vacations and visiting friends or relatives together make up about four-fifths of overseas trips. This split covers overseas air visitors only (NTTO’s Survey of International Air Travelers).
- Vacation / holiday 57%
- Visiting friends & relatives 23%
- Business 16%
- Convention & other 4%
Source NTTO — National Travel & Tourism Office — I-94 arrivals program & Survey of International Air Travelers, 2024. SIAT — overseas air visitors only
Attractions
the US's most-visited attractions
The US has no single visitor-attraction survey like the UK’s. The clearest national gauge is the National Park Service, which logged a record 331.9 million recreation visits in 2024. These are the ten most-visited national parks (all visitors, domestic and international).
Source National Park Service — 2024 visitation figures (record 331.9m recreation visits).
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
US hotels set records for room rates and revenue per room in 2024, even as occupancy held roughly flat. New York was the highest-occupancy major market at 84%.
Source STR / CoStar — U.S. hotel performance, full-year 2024.
Economic impact
Tourism in the US's economy
The United States is the world’s largest travel and tourism economy — by the WTTC’s measure, nearly double its nearest rival. Job and spending totals vary by source and methodology (see methodology).
Domestic travel makes up the great majority of that activity; international visitors are a smaller but high-value share. WTTC, U.S. Travel and the BEA report different totals because of differing methodologies.
Source WTTC — Economic Impact Research — U.S. travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024.
Source U.S. Travel Association — Economic impact of travel, 2024.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 35.2m Overseas arrivals, 2024 (excl. Canada & Mexico)
- 17.5 nights Avg. length of stay (overseas air)
- $1,802 Avg. spend per visit (overseas air)
- 149% India arrivals vs 2019 — fastest-growing market
- 331.9m National park visits, 2024 (record)
- #1 World's largest travel & tourism economy
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many international visitors does the US get each year?
In 2024 the US recorded 72.4 million total international arrivals (including the Canada and Mexico land-border markets), or 35.2 million “overseas” arrivals excluding those two — about 91% of the 2019 pre-pandemic level.
How much do international visitors spend in the US?
Foreign visitors generated an estimated record of about $252 billion in US travel and tourism exports in 2024. Travel is the single largest US services export. (A narrower U.S. Travel Association measure puts international visitor spending nearer $155–181 billion.)
Which country sends the most visitors to the US?
Canada, with about 20.2 million arrivals in 2024, ahead of Mexico (~17 million). The United Kingdom is the largest overseas market at roughly 4.0 million.
What is the most-visited US national park?
Great Smoky Mountains, with 12.2 million visits in 2024 — part of a record 331.9 million national-park visits nationwide.
Has US inbound tourism recovered from the pandemic?
Nearly — 2024 arrivals reached about 91% of 2019. India is already well above 2019 while some markets (notably Japan and China) still lag, and U.S. Travel has forecast a possible dip in international visitation in 2025.
Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics. Every chart links to its source above. Key caveats:
- Latest data. Headline figures are for 2024, the most recent full year, from NTTO’s I-94 arrivals program. Some 2024 figures — travel exports and a few individual market totals — are preliminary or estimated, and the 2020–21 arrivals are approximate.
- Total vs overseas. The most important distinction: “total” international arrivals include the large Canada and Mexico land-border markets (72.4m in 2024), while “overseas” arrivals exclude them (35.2m). Purpose, length-of-stay and per-visit spend figures cover overseas air visitors only.
- Spending measures differ. Travel-export figures (ITA/BEA, ~$252bn) are broader than the U.S. Travel Association’s international-visitor-spending measure (~$155–181bn). The difference is definitional; both are nominal.
- Attractions basis. With no US equivalent of a single visitor-attraction survey, we use National Park Service visitation. Those counts include domestic as well as international visitors.
- Economic impact. WTTC, the U.S. Travel Association and the BEA report different GDP, output and job totals because of different methodologies; each figure is labelled with its source.
Primary sources
- NTTO — National Travel & Tourism Office — I-94 arrivals program & Survey of International Air Travelers, 2024.
- BEA / ITA — Travel & Tourism exports — U.S. travel & tourism exports and Satellite Account (2024 preliminary).
- National Park Service — 2024 visitation figures (record 331.9m recreation visits).
- STR / CoStar — U.S. hotel performance, full-year 2024.
- WTTC — Economic Impact Research — U.S. travel & tourism GDP and employment, 2024.
- U.S. Travel Association — Economic impact of travel, 2024.