International Trade Administration | June 17, 2022

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

  • International visitors spent $12.7 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of 136 percent compared to April 2021.
  • Americans spent $10.9 billion traveling abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of $1.8 billion for the month—the sixth consecutive month during which the United States enjoyed a balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism.
  • For the first time since February 2020, ‘Travel Receipts’ accounted for more than half (54%) of total travel exports.
  • April marked the highwater point in terms of monthly international visitor spending in the United States since the announcement of COVID-19 in February 2020.

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 $6.8 billion in April 2022 (compared to $1.5 billion in April 2021), an increase of 352 percent when compared to the previous year.
    • For a pre-pandemic perspective, travel receipts totaled $11.7 billion in April 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 54 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in April 2022.
  • Passenger Fare Receipts
    • Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $2.0 billion in April 2022 (compared to $732 million in April 2021), an increase of 174 percent when compared to the previous year.
    • For a pre-pandemic perspective, the United States exported $3.4 billion in passenger air transportation services in April 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 April 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 $3.9 billion in April 2022 (compared to $3.2 billion in April 2021), an increase of 24 percent when compared to the previous year.
    • For a pre-pandemic perspective, this spending totaled $5.0 billion in April 2019.
    • Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker expenditures accounted for 31 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in April 2022.

Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our Monthly Travel Trade Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.