According to newly released data from National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), in May 2022:
- International visitors spent $12.6 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of nearly 105 percent compared to May 2021.
- Americans spent $12.4 billion traveling abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of $245 million for the month—the seventh consecutive month during which the United States enjoyed a balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism.
- Year to date (January through May 2022), international visitors have spent $55.5 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services (up nearly 107% when compared to the same period last year), injecting, on average, $367.5 million a day into the U.S. economy.
- Year to date (January through May 2022), while other U.S. exports of goods and services were +20% compared to the first five months of pre-pandemic 2019, travel exports were -45%.
Composition of Monthly Spending (Travel Exports)
Travel Receipts
- Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $6.7 billion in May 2022 (compared to $2.1 billion in May 2021), an increase of 223 percent when compared to the previous year.
- For a pre-pandemic perspective, travel receipts totaled $12.1 billion in May 2019. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to international travel.
- Travel receipts accounted for 53 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in May 2022.
Passenger Fare Receipts
- Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled nearly $2.0 billion in May 2022 (compared to $898 million in May 2021), an increase of 122 percent when compared to the previous year.
- For a pre-pandemic perspective, the United States exported more than $3.3 billion in passenger air transportation services in May 2019. These receipts are expenditures by foreign residents on international flights of U.S. air carriers.
- Passenger fare receipts accounted for 16 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in May 2022.
Medical/Education/Short-Term Worker Spending