Overseas Travel to U.S. Continues to Decline

Published on: February 22, 2008

New Department of Commerce data reveal that the United States continues to suffer from a decline in overseas arrivals despite a worldwide boom in international travel and an extraordinarily favorable exchange rate. According to industry estimates, year-end data will reveal that the United States, despite a modest increase over 2006, welcomed 11 percent fewer overseas visitors in 2007 than in 2000. More significantly, the United States welcomed 10 million fewer overseas visitors in 2007 than it would have if it simply kept pace with post-9/11 worldwide long-haul travel trends.

According to the Travel Industry Association, increasing overseas travel to the United States requires critical visa, entry and communication reforms. President Bush and Congress made positive strides in 2007 by passing important visa and entry reforms, but communication reform still awaits action in the House and Senate. The TIA is lobbying for the "Travel Promotion Act," which would help reverse the decline in overseas travel by establishing a nationally coordinated travel promotion campaign at no cost to the American taxpayer. The program would better communicate complex travel policies and assure foreign travelers that they are welcome to visit the United States. Studies show that such a campaign could attract millions of additional overseas visitors per year, resulting in billions of dollars of new visitor spending.

The legislation currently has the bipartisan support of nearly 150 members of the House of Representatives and 40 Senators. For more information, visit www.tia.org.