International Travel tips

Alex Lasry has been sworn in as the new deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lasry will report to Brian Beall, director of travel and tourism, who started on May 8.

Passport processing times have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the State Department said Monday — it now takes just six to eight weeks for a passport, or two to three weeks for an expedited one. 

Canada won’t surpass its pre-pandemic international tourism level until 2025. One of the reasons is the lagging recovery of Asia, according to Destination Canada’s outlook report. That’s due in part to the Chinese government’s ban on group travel into Canada. 

Visitors to the U.S. aren’t spending as much as they used to on lodging, food, local transportation, and entertainment.

The spotlight is on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. But Delta Air Lines had some interesting things to say last week as well.

About 7 million international travelers came to the U.S in August, which was 86% of their pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. About 3.3 million of international travelers came from outside North America.

Americans spent a record $18.3 billion traveling abroad in September, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data.

United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella does not think the international travel boom has run its course. Far from it.

International travel to the U.S. continues to make a post-pandemic recovery, according to new data on international air travelers released Monday by the U.S.’s National Travel and Tourism Office. International air travelers spent $18.9 billion in the U.S. in the second quarter, up 33% from the same period in 2022.

Nearly 6.5 million international travelers came to the U.S. in July, representing 84% of its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data release. Compared to July 2022, international travel to the U.S. is up 25%.

International traveler spending on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. totaled $19 billion in August 2023, its highest level since the pandemic hit in 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. August international traveler spending, however, was still below its 2019 pre-pandemic total of $19.6 billion.

United Airlines said on Friday it had promoted company insider Michael Leskinen to chief financial officer, nearly four months after Gerry Laderman announced plans to retire in 2024.

International tourism reached 84% of its pre-pandemic level between January and July 2023, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. Around 700 million tourists traveled internationally.

Travel has well and truly bounced back since the pandemic, buoying tourist destinations that were crippled by restrictions and closures.

Over 10 million Americans traveled abroad in June, a 20% rise from the same period last year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. June’s volume was 99% of its 2019 pre-pandemic level.

Brazil will mandate visitors from the U.S., Australia and Canada obtain an e-visa prior to entering the country starting January 10, 2024, according to Embratur, Brazil tourism’s board.

International travelers spent $18 billion on travel to, and within the U.S. in July., down by $1.5 billion from its pre-pandemic level, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. Spending on strictly goods and services like recreation, lodging and food totaled $9.7 billion in July 2023.

This summer’s travel boom is showing no signs of slowing down during the Labor Day weekend, especially for the growing number of Americans looking to vacation overseas.

International inbound travel to the U.S. is projected to be at 63 percent and 75 percent of its pre-pandemic volume in 2022 and 2023, respectively, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s biannual forecast. At this rate, international travel won’t reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025.

The U.S. Travel Association has launched a website to highlight the negative impact of long visitor visa interview wait times—which now exceed an average of 400 days—is having on global travelers and U.S. businesses. Called USVisaDelays.com, the website lists stories of those affected, loss in industry spending, visitor wait times, impacted markets and a policy fact sheet. 

International inbound visitors spent more than $15.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States in October, making it the highest monthly level of spending since Covid struck in February 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.