The US market share of international tourism fell from 13.7% in 2015 to 11.7% in 2018, and USTA expects a further decline to 10.4% by 2023 - a situation for which USTA blames a combination of:
- Rise of emerging destinations
- Strength of US dollar vs. other world currencies
- Policies and rhetoric of former US President Donald Trump, which impacted visitation from Germany, China and the Middle East especially
- Media accounts of mass shootings, hate crimes, police violence and racism in the US
- Anti-LGBT legislation introduced in some states
- Unwelcoming airport security and immigration procedures
Of the top 10 country destinations for international travel in 2019, 9 experienced year-on-year growth in arrivals ranging from 1% (Spain) to 12% (Turkey). But arrivals to the US were down 1% from 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 a year of $150B export income lost to the US economy, and the poorest year ever for the US hotel industry, with 44% across-the-board average occupancy.
Will the efforts of USTA and Brand USA be sufficient to halt the decline in market share? When will we see the 2019 level of visitation again?
Stay tuned.
