The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported on January 24, 2017 that they have identified code translation issues which impact I-94 arrivals data from Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong), as well as Turkey and Turkmenistan. It's anticipated that CBP's revisions will correct data anomalies reported by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) on January 6, 2017 via its TINews release on July 2016 I-94 arrivals.
NTTO released preliminary July 2016 arrivals data partly because of the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) recommendation that NTTO issue arrivals data as soon as possible. Based on the TTAB recommendation, preliminary data releases are preferred because delayed releases undermine the usefulness of the I-94 arrival data and inhibit private sector users from making timely decisions. Furthermore, delayed releases impede the ability of stakeholders to measure progress and identify international travel trends.
Though NTTO understands the TTAB's point of view, concerns about the July 2016 data created additional work for government staff and reduced stakeholder confidence in the arrivals data. Therefore, due to this impending revision, NTTO will not release any additional 2016 data until after July arrivals data are corrected and released. July 2016 revised arrivals data will be released as soon as they become available.
In addition to providing revised July 2016 I-94 arrivals data and using the same correction procedures, DHS/CBP will additionally provide updated August, September, and October 2016 I-94 arrivals data. Once NTTO receives these data, NTTO and its contractor will quickly process and release these data as well. If there are no other challenges, NTTO expects to release annual 2016 arrivals in April 2017, which will nearly normalize the processing cycle.
NTTO would like to thank all users who reached out regarding their July 2016 data concerns. NTTO is working with DHS/CBP to develop a webinar presentation that explains DHS/CBP Automation and NTTO's I-94 data processing procedures. The aim of this webinar will be to provide users with a better understanding of how a count of overseas travelers to the United States is derived.
