National Travel and Tourism Office | October 11, 2024

International Visitors Spent $21.5 Billion in August 2024

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Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in August 2024:

  • International visitors spent $21.5 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month of August, an increase of more than 11 percent compared to August 2023.
  • Conversely, Americans spent more than $20.6 billion traveling abroad during August, yielding an $865 million balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism-related goods and services.
  • International visitors have spent more than $168.6 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date (January through August 2024), an increase of 16 percent when compared 2023; international visitors have injected, on average, $694 million a day into the U.S. economy year to date.
  • U.S. travel and tourism exports accounted for 23.3 percent of U.S. services exports during August 2024 and 7.9 percent of all U.S. exports, goods and services alike.

Composition of Monthly Spending (Travel Exports)

  • Travel Spending 
    • Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $12.0 billion during August 2024 (compared to $10.4 billion in August 2023), an increase of 16 percent when compared to the previous 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 56 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in August 2024.
  • Passenger Fare Receipts
    • Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $3.3 billion in August 2024 (compared to $3.1 billion in the previous year), up 7 percent when compared to August 2023. These receipts represent expenditures by foreign residents on international flights provided by U.S. air carriers.
    • Passenger fare receipts accounted for 15 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports during August.
  • 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 $6.1 billion in August 2024 (compared to $5.8 billion in August 2023), an increase of 6 percent when compared to the previous year.
    • Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker expenditures accounted for 29 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in August 2024.