International Tourism Spending in the United States (2022)

In 2022, as global travel rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, international visitors spent an estimated $334 billion in the United States. This expenditure supported approximately 1.9 million U.S. jobs across sectors including hospitality, retail, transportation, entertainment, and food services.

Context & Trends

• Pre-Pandemic Peak (2019): Spending reached a record **$233.5 billion** (travel exports) / **$1.1 trillion** total tourism output (including domestic). *Note: 2022 international spending ($334B) exceeds 2019 *international* spending (~$195B) due to pent-up demand, longer stays, higher prices, and favorable exchange rates, though *total* visitation volume (79.4M in 2019 vs ~51M in 2022) had not fully recovered.
• Top Source Markets (2022): Mexico, Canada, UK, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, India, China (recovering slowly), Germany, France.
• Average Spend: Overseas visitors (excl. Canada/Mexico) spend significantly more per trip (~$4,000+) than North American neighbors.
• Economic Impact: Travel exports are a top U.S. service export, improving the trade balance. The industry advocates for policies easing visa processing (e.g., interview wait times) and marketing (Brand USA) to accelerate recovery.

Data Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).