International visitors spent $8.2 billion in the USA in January

Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in January 2022:

• International visitors spent $8.2 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of 63 percent compared to January 2021.
• Americans spent more than $7.5 billion traveling abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of $721 million for the month—the third consecutive month during which the United States enjoyed a balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism.
• Travel exports of $8.2 billion in January 2022 were lower than $10.4 billion in December 2021 and $9.6 billion in November 2021 but higher than $7.1 billion in October 2021.

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 $3.5 billion in January 2022 (compared to $1.1 billion in January 2021), an increase of nearly 207 percent when compared to the previous year.
• For a pre-pandemic perspective, travel receipts totaled $11.7 billion in January 2019. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel.
• Travel receipts accounted for 42 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in January 2022.

• Passenger Fare Receipts
  • Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled nearly $1.4 billion in January 2022 (compared to $690 million in January 2021), an increase of more than 101 percent when compared to the previous year. 
  • For a pre-pandemic perspective, the United States exported nearly $3.3 billion in passenger air transportation services in January 2019. These receipts are expenditures by foreign residents on international flights of U.S. air carriers.
  • Passenger fare receipts accounted for 17 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in January 2022.
• Medical/Education/Short-Term Worker Spending
  • Expenditures for educational and health-related tourism, along with all expenditures by border, seasonal, and other short-term workers in the United States totaled nearly $3.4 billion in January 2022 (compared to $3.2 billion in January 2021), an increase of more than 4 percent when compared to the previous year.
  • For a pre-pandemic perspective, this spending totaled $4.8 billion in January 2019.
  • Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker expenditures accounted for 41 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in January 2022.