SOME VERY INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY!
LEISURE TRAVEL
■ Direct spending on leisure travel by domestic and international travelers totaled $564 billion in 2011.
■ Spending on leisure travel generated $86 billion in tax revenue.
■ 3 out of 4 domestic trips taken are for leisure purposes (77%).
■ U.S. residents logged 1.5 billion person-trips for leisure purposes in 2011.
■ Top 5 leisure travel activities for U.S. domestic travelers: (1) visiting relatives; (2) shopping; (3) visiting friends; (4) fine dining; and (5) beaches.
BUSINESS TRAVEL
■ Direct spending on business travel by domestic and international travelers, including expenditures on meetings, events and incentive programs (ME&I), totaled $249 billion in 2011.
■ ME&I travel accounted for $99 billion of all business travel spending.
■ U.S. residents logged 458 million person-trips for business purposes in 2011, with more than one-third (36%) for meetings and events.
■ For every dollar invested in business travel, businesses benefit from an average of $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.
(Person-trip defined as one person trip away from home overnight in paid accommodations or a day or overnight trip 50 miles one-way or more from home.)
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
■ In 2011, international traveler spending (export receipts) totaled $153 billion and travel spending abroad by Americans totaled $110 billion (travel import payments), creating a trade surplus of $43 billion in favor of the U.S.
■ The U.S.received 62.3 million international arrivals in 2011. Of those, approximately 27.9 million were from overseas markets and 34.4 million were from Canada and Mexico.
■ The United States’ share of total international arrivals is 6.4% (down from 7.5% in 2000).
■ International travel spending directly supported about 1.2 million U.S. jobs and wages of $28.5 billion.
■ Each overseas traveler spends approximately $4,300 when they visit the U.S. and stay on average more than 17 nights.
■ Overseas arrivals represent 45% of all international arrivals, yet account for 78% of total international travel receipts.
■ Greatest challenges facing international visitors: burdensome visa process; unwelcoming entry experience.
■ Top 5 leisure travel activities for overseas visitors: (1) shopping; (2) dining; (3) city sightseeing; (4) visiting historical places; and (5) amusement/theme parks.
The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in economic output. It is the voice for the collective interests of the U.S. travel industry and the association’s 1,400 member organizations. U.S. Travel’s mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.
JoshWillTravel 