WASHINGTON – Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Ken Hyatt today announced that international visitors spent nearly $21 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States in August, an increase of $251 million, when compared to August 2015.
“The travel and tourism industry is tremendously important to the national economy,” Hyatt said. “It keeps Americans employed and local economies flourishing. Today’s data show that international visitors spent nearly $672 million a day experiencing the United States, solidifying the travel and tourism industry as the number one service export in the country.”
International visitors spent a total $164.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services between January and August of this year. Conversely, Americans spent an estimated $105.1 billion abroad during that same time period, contributing to a balance of trade surplus of more than $59 billion year to date.
Monthly Summary
- Travel Receipts: Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $13.2 billion during August, with little fluctuation when compared to last year. 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 63 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in August.
- Passenger Fare Receipts: Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $3.1 billion for the month, a decrease of eight percent compared to August 2015.Passenger fare receipts accounted for 15 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in August.
- Medical/Education/Short-Term Worker: Expenditures for educational and health-related tourism, along with all expenditures by border, seasonal, and other short-term workers, totaled more than $4.5 billion in August, an increase of more than 13 percent when compared to the same period last year. Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker receipts accounted for nearly 22 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in August.
