The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that 8.0 million international visitors(1)(2)traveled to the United States in August 2016, down two percent (-2.1%) from August 2015.
In August 2016 the top inbound markets continued to be Canada and Mexico. Non-resident visits from Canada declined five percent while visits from Mexico increased five percent. The United Kingdom (-6.6%), the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong) (+9.9%), and Japan (-4.0%) rounded out the top five. Four of the top inbound overseas regional markets(3) posted increases in non-resident visits in August 2016, with Western Europe, South America, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa posting declines.
For the eight months of 2016, international visits (50.8 million) were down two percent
(-2.3%) when compared to the same period in 2015.
HIGHLIGHTS
Top 10 Countries
- In August 2016 three of the top 10 countries posted increases in non-resident visits.
- During the first eight months of 2016, three of the top 10 countries (sort based on August 2016) posted increases in non-resident visits to the United States.
Top 10 Countries (Sort based on April 2016)
Country of Residence
|
% Change August
2016 vs. 2015
|
% Change
YTD August
2016 vs. 2015
|
| Canada |
-5
|
-10
|
| Mexico |
5
|
5
|
| United Kingdom |
-7
|
-4
|
| People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong) |
10
|
15
|
| Japan |
-4
|
-4
|
| Germany |
-14
|
-11
|
| France |
-6
|
-8
|
| South Korea |
6
|
11
|
| Italy |
-3
|
-5
|
| Brazil |
-27
|
-26
|
Non-Resident Visits from Overseas(4) Countries
- In August 2016 non-resident visits from overseas countries (3.8 million) were down three percent over August 2015, accounting for 48 percent of total international visits to the United States.
- During the first eight months of 2016, non-resident visits from overseas countries (25.1 million) were down one percent compared to the same period of 2015, accounting for 49 percent of total international visits.
Top Ports: Year to Date August 2016
- Visitation through the top 15 ports of entry accounted for 85 percent of all overseas visits, half of a percentage point higher than last year.
- The top three ports (New York JFK, Miami, and Los Angeles) accounted for 41 percent of all overseas arrivals, slightly higher than last year.
- Nine of the top 15 ports posted single-digit increases in arrivals.
Pleasure Travel vs. Business Travel: Year to Date April 2016
- Of the top 20 overseas countries with visits to the United States, more than 90 percent of the visits recorded from Argentina (93.9%), Venezuela (90.3%), and Ecuador (94.4%) represented pleasure travel to the United States. On the contrary, 20 percent or more of the visits recorded from Germany (22.6%) and the Netherlands (22.4%) represented business travel to the United States.
- Of all overseas non-resident visits to the United States, 81.6 percent represented pleasure travel and 13.7 percent represented business travel.
Special Note: Revised July 2016 I-94 Arrivals Data
- The preliminary July 2016 I-94 arrivals data were revised after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Customs and Border Protection corrected a coding problem that affected non-resident arrivals to the United States from Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong), Turkey, and Turkmenistan.
- Arrivals data for the first eight months of 2016 include revised July 2016 arrivals data.
- No changes were found for country of citizenship, port of customs, class of admission (visa type), mode of arrival, or date of arrival.
- Departure dates were changed on only five records (insignificant).
- It is our objective to report the monthly I-94 arrivals data in a consistent and accurate format to support the informational needs of the travel industry.
Access to National Travel and Tourism Office Monthly Arrivals Data
To access international travel and tourism statistics from the U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistical System, visit the National Travel and Tourism Office I-94 monthly arrivals page at http://travel.trade.gov/view/
(P) = 2016 I-94 arrivals data are preliminary with these data subject to revisions.
(1)2016(P) I-94 arrivals data are official, but subject to further revision, if warranted (see 'Special Note' this month). Situations that allow for revision include improved solutions and/or sources discovered by the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security as they complete the automation and migration of records.
(2)2014, 2015 and 2016 data sets are based on the same criteria, including the same visitor visa types and the ‘one night or more’ definition of a traveler. In addition, the methodology for identifying travelers with respect to Country of Residence (COR), and infilling records with missing COR data, is consistent for the three years. The years differ only in that 2015 contained more I-94 records as a result of automating the paper I-94 forms. Therefore, 2014, 2015, and 2016 arrivals data are arguably more comprehensive and credible than previous years.
(3)The nine major overseas regions are: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
(4)Overseas includes all countries except Canada and Mexico.
Source
U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, National Travel and Tourism Office as well as Statistics Canada’s International Travel Survey and Banco de Mexico travel data.
