The findings from the inbound Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) covering the third quarter of 2023 have been released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) of the International Trade Administration.
The Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) is an ongoing research program that collects statistical information on air passengers traveling between the US and overseas, as well as between the US and Mexico. The survey gathers data on trip planning, travel behavior, demographics, and spending for two distinct groups: non-US residents visiting the US and US residents departing from the US.
The SIAT focuses on gathering information about the characteristics of visitors who arrived in the United States of America via air travel.
The sample population includes all individuals traveling internationally to or from the United States. However, there are two distinct groups being focused on. The first group comprises of US. residents who are departing from the U.S. on the initial part of their journey. The second group consists of non-resident visitors (with specific visa types) who are on their way back home, and they are on the same outbound flight departing from the US.
The NTTO relies on voluntary participation from both US and foreign flag carriers operating flights to and from the US. These airlines assist the NTTO in surveying passengers on selected outbound flights during the third week of each month. Each airline works with an airline survey manager who oversees their participation at each gateway airport. Additionally, the airlines assign a gateway manager who coordinates the distribution and collection of survey kits on designated flights. The flight crews are responsible for distributing and collecting the surveys from passengers, who voluntarily participate and answer survey-related questions. Furthermore, the flight crews ensure that the survey kits are returned to the United States. Finally, the gateway managers mail the survey kits back to our contractor for processing.
NTTO collects surveys at different airports, in addition to the in-flight survey method mentioned earlier. To carry out this task, a field service contractor is employed to distribute the surveys, collect responses, address any queries from respondents, and subsequently return the surveys to our contractor for processing. Cooperation from both the airports and the federal inspections staff stationed at each airport is crucial for this process. NTTO expresses gratitude to these partners for their collaboration.
International Inbound Air Travelers To the United States in the Third Quarter 2023
In the third quarter of 2023, international air travelers from overseas, Canada, and Mexico collectively contributed $20.9 billion to the United States, marking a 19.9% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Top-line characteristics of the 9.4 million Overseas visitor arrivals to the United States:
- The average overseas visitor had a combined annual household income of $91,579, stayed 17.39 nights and spent $1,863 while in the United States. Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $17.5 billion, up 20.0% from the third quarter of 2022.
- The United Kingdom (1,130,000 visitor arrivals) was the top source market, followed by Germany (576K), India (540K), Japan (509K) and France (481K).
- New York (2,151,000) was the top state visited, followed by California (1.9M), Florida (1.6M), Nevada (679K), and Hawaii (581K).
- The average overseas visitor made decision to visit the United States 109.2 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 78.8 days prior to trip.
- 57.4% traveled alone, 21.8% traveled with family/relatives, and 20.2% traveled with a spouse/partner.
- Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (59.2%), followed by Visit Friends/Relatives (22.9%), and Business1 (13.7%).
- Shopping was the top (83.0%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (79.6%), National Parks/Monuments (39.7%), Small Towns/Countryside (34.2%), and Art Galleries/Museums (31%).
- Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (71.2%) type of accommodation used, while Auto (Private or Company) was the top (38.2%) type of transportation used in the United States.
Top-line characteristics of the 2.1 million Canadian-air visitor arrivals to the United States:
- The average Canadian-air visitor had a combined annual household income of $122,769, stayed 7.67 nights and spent $999 while in the United States. Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $2.1 billion, up 4.2% from the third quarter of 2022.
- California (451,000) was the top state visited, followed by Florida (399K), New York, (338K), Nevada (284K), and Texas (111K).
- The average Canadian visitor made decision to visit the United States 80.9 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 59.9 days prior to trip.
- 60.5% traveled alone, 21.3% traveled with a spouse/partner, and 17.9% traveled with family/relatives.
- Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (58.4%), followed Visit Friends/Relatives (23.1%) and Business (16.4%).
- Shopping was the top (74%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (73.1%), Experience Fine Dining (30.7%), Art Galleries/Museums (21.7%), and Amusement/Theme Parks (20.9%).
- Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (76.6%) type of accommodation used, while Ride-sharing Service was the top (38.9%) type of transportation used in the United States.
Top-line characteristics of the 844,000 Mexican-air visitor arrivals to the United States:
- The average Mexican visitor had a combined annual household income of $61,175, stayed 12.87 nights and spent $1,541 while in the United States. Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $1.3 billion, up 58.5% from the third quarter of 2022.
- Texas (171,000) was the top state visited, followed by California (167K), Florida (145K), New York (101K), and Nevada (76K).
- The average visitor made decision to visit the United States 64.4 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 42.1 days prior to trip.
- 67.6% traveled alone, 19.9% traveled with family/relatives, and 1.23% traveled with a spouse/partner.
- Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (56.0%), followed by Visit Friends/Relatives (21.7%), and Business1 (19.1%).
- Shopping was the top (83.4%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (68.7%), Amusement/Theme Parks (33.3%), National Parks/Monuments (28.5%), and Art Galleries/Museums (27.3%).
- Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (62.8%) type of accommodation used, while Auto (Private or Company) was the top (47.7%) type of transportation used in the United States.
