The Countries Most Impacted by the Lack of US Tourism

It will be some time before international travel fully returns to normal but it hasn't taken long for some countries to feel the impact of COVID-19's effects on visitation from the United States. Travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip recently analyzed data from the U.S. National Travel & Tourism Office to determine which countries have been most affected by the dropoff in American travel abroad since the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March. Here are the 10 nations feeling it the most.

Unsurprisingly, Europe has been among the regions most affected by the lack of U.S. travel abroad. The European Union continues to ban Americans based on COVID-19 positivity rates in the U.S. so destinations like Ireland, which requires a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, have seen a dramatic reduction in visits and subsequent spending, losing an estimated $3.3 billion.

India narrowly edges out Ireland with an estimated loss of $3.5 billion over a six-month period. India is currently at a Level 4 (do not travel) on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory scale due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Netherlands has been equally affected by the pandemic in terms of financial loss due to a lack of tourism dollars from the U.S., taking a hit of about $3.5 billion. Americans will have to wait to experience Amsterdam and other tourist hotspots as the Netherlands is one of many European countries still closed to leisure travel from the U.S.

Typically one of the most accessible international destinations for Americans, the Bahamas-which hosted a record 1.45 million Americans in 2019-was hampered by a failed reopening to U.S. travelers over the summer. The islands only recently entered Phase 3 of the nation's Tourism Readiness & Recovery Plan, giving Americans the green light to visit with proof of a negative COVID-19 test result. According to InsureMyTrip's research, the Bahamas also experienced an estimated loss of $3.5 billion from the lack of U.S. tourism over a six-month period.

Japan is one of two Asian countries being heavily impacted by the sudden decline in tourism from the U.S., missing out on an estimated $3.6 billion over a six-month period due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

China, where the coronavirus outbreak originated late last year, has lost an estimated $4 billion from the halt in visitation from the U.S. While that figure is staggering, it's less than half that of the number one country on this list.

The U.S. is one of Germany's most important markets in terms of international tourism as the country hosted nearly 7 million overnight stays by Americans last year. As a result, the COVID-19 impact has been severe, costing Germany about $5.7 billion.

Spain has been hit slightly harder than Germany, losing out on an estimated $5.8 billion from the stoppage in U.S. visitation over the first six months of the pandemic. The downturn is especially disheartening as Spain was coming off of a record number of international visitors (83.7 million) in 2019.

The world's top country for international tourists has taken quite a hit due to the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent EU travel ban on Americans, experiencing a loss of more than $8.1 billion over a six-month period from the lack of U.S. visitors alone.

With a potential loss of nearly $8.3 billion in just six months' time, Italy has been the hardest-hit country in terms of COVID-19's impact on U.S. travel abroad, InsureMyTrip's research found. With much of Europe remaining off-limits to American leisure travel, for now, it's unclear when Italy and others will begin to recover. The good news is 2021 looks much more promising.