Strategy To Re-Energize US Tourism Is Ahead of Schedule

Two years ago the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it was embarking on what was dubbed the National Travel and Tourism Strategy.

As part of that strategy, the Commerce Department set a five-year goal of welcoming 90 million international visitors annually by 2027.

And as it turns out, the country may reach that goal well ahead of schedule.

The latest estimates from the International Trade Administration show that the United States is expected to welcome 91 million annual visitors by 2026, surpassing the Commerce Department strategy’s goal one year in advance of its anticipated timeline, according to a statement issued today.

Additional progress attributed to the travel and tourism strategy includes:

• Between 2020 and 2023, international visitation to the United States increased 246 percent to 66.5 million
• Travel exports generated by international visitors increased 153 percent to $213 billion
• American jobs supported by travel exports increased 63 percent to 1.6 million.
  
  

As a result of international visitation to the United States outpacing travel to the rest of the world, the country’s share of global travel increased from 4.7 percent in 2020 to 5.2 percent in 2023, according to the Commerce Department.

“Thanks to the steadfast leadership and efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration, travel and tourism continue to be critical drivers of economic growth and employment across the United States, supporting 9.5 million American jobs and $2.3 trillion of economic output per year,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

Traveler taking a picture with a phone. (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)

Increased visa processing, protection of national parks

Some of the other successes the Commerce Department said have resulted from the strategy’s implementation over the past two years include:

• Increasing capacity and efficiency to issue 20 percent more non-immigrant visas in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic issue rates through the U.S. Department of State
• Funding $750 million for travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation communities provided by the American Rescue Plan and issued by the Economic Development Administration;
• Investing $195 million in climate restoration and resilience projects to protect our national parks, and more through the U.S. Department of the Interior.


Raimondo added however, that the "work is far from over.”

The Commerce Department continues to take actions to help the nation’s tourism industry recover from the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. That effort includes working with state and local governments and private sector partners to welcome more international visitors to the U.S., Raimondo said.

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