The World Travel & amp; Tourism Council (WTTC) has released new data which further proves that the recovery of international travel to the USA is happening now, just slower than many other countries their independent recoveries.
In a partnership with ForwardKeys on international flight bookings, the WTTC has seen a large share of international travelers arriving in the US after the government dropped the pre-arrival COVID-19 test requirement.
While international spending is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2025, far behind other countries ‘projected recoveries as early as 2023, ForwardKeys’ flight data bookings in the US jumped 93 percent in the last six weeks compared to 2021.
Leading the way in international travel growth are the most iconic American cities, such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando. The majority of travelers are from Canada, Germany, France and Brazil, although travelers from Chile and Japan have also grown.
For travelers from the US, international travel remains a popular form of travel this year, with excursion bookings reaching just 5 per cent below the 2019 level. Top destinations include Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, UK, Italy and the Philippines.
“These findings echo our previous study showing that the U.S. lags other countries in international visitors, resulting in a slower-than-expected recovery in international tourism revenue,” said Julia Simpson, WTTC President & amp; CEO. “The good news is the Travel & Tourism sector’s resilient and meaningful cross-border policies and reduced restrictions are helping to fuel the recovery of the sector. But more international travel is the key to ensuring the pace and scale of full recovery. .
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