February 2022 International Inbound Visitor Spending
Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in February 2022:
- International visitors spent $9.5 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of 98 percent compared to February 2021.
- Americans spent $7.9 billion traveling abroad, yielding a balance of trade surplus of $1.6 billion for the month—the fourth consecutive month during which the United States enjoyed a balance of trade surplus for travel and tourism.
- Travel exports of $9.5 billion in February 2022 were higher than $8.3 billion in January 2022 but lower than $10.4 billion in December 2021 and $9.6 billion in November 2021.
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 $4.8 billion in February 2022 (compared to $1.1 billion in February 2021), an increase of 343 percent when compared to the previous year.
- For a pre-pandemic perspective, travel receipts totaled $12 billion in February 2019. 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 50 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in February 2022.
Passenger Fare Receipts
- Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled nearly $1.4 billion in February 2022 (compared to $522 million in February 2021), an increase of 161 percent when compared to the previous year.
- For a pre-pandemic perspective, the United States exported nearly $3.3 billion in passenger air transportation services in February 2019. These receipts are expenditures by foreign residents on international flights of U.S. air carriers.
- Passenger fare receipts accounted for 14 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in February 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 nearly $3.4 billion in February 2022 (compared to $3.2 billion in February 2021), an increase of 5 percent when compared to the previous year.
- For a pre-pandemic perspective, this spending totaled $4.9 billion in February 2019.
- Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker expenditures accounted for 36 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in February 2022.
Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our International Travel Receipts and Payments Program for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.
