New data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office found that while international travel to and from the U.S. increased 1.2 percent this July from last year, overseas visitation by travelers outside the U.S. decreased again in an unusual months-long trend.
Total U.S-international air passenger enplanements totaled 27.1 million in July, exceeding the pre-pandemic total by 7 percent. U.S. citizens are leaving the U.S. for other countries at a record rate, up 5.5 percent from last July, continuing the trend we’ve seen for much of the year.
While this is a sign that Americans aren’t letting fears about the economy stop them from traveling internationally this year, the drop in international arrivals is more concerning.
Non-U.S. citizen air arrivals to the U.S. dropped 4.9 percent from last year, only reaching around 86.6 percent of the pre-pandemic level—and this is during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. International demand also fell in June, with international arrivals dropping 6.6 percent.
The U.S. was on track to reach its pre-pandemic totals this year, later than most other countries in the world, but that has changed since Trump’s trade wars and increasingly violent rhetoric about immigrants and other sovereign nations, including Canada, have led travelers from around the world to choose other, and safer, places to visit.
Total air passenger travel, which includes arrivals and departures, grew 2.2 percent between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexico is currently the United States’ largest source market, with over 7 million travelers from Mexico visiting the country this year.
Travel to and from the Dominican Republic also grew 4.4 percent.
Travel between the U.S. and other countries dropped, however: travel between the U.S. and Canada dropped 7.4 percent and travel to and from the U.K. and Germany both dropped 0.9 percent each.
Overall travel to Europe was up 2.7 percent this July. South, Central America and the Caribbean increased 2.8 percent. Travel to Asia also increased 4.5 percent, largely spurred by Americans headed abroad, though rates in Asia are still not where they were pre-pandemic.
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