International Travel tips

Some large cities are increasingly leaning on rising tourism as a way to make up for a hybrid worker model that has undermined the economies of their central business districts. 

The Biden Administration announced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid vaccine requirement for inbound international air travelers to the U.S. will end on May 11. The administration will also remove the requirement for federal employees and contractors.

Total inbound International visitation to the U.S. amounted 4.8 million in January, up 93 percent year over year and about 82 percent of January 2019’s volume, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. This was the twenty-second consecutive month that international visitor volume grew year over year.

San Francisco has found promising value in the India travel market as the city’s recovery in international visitors remains sluggish due to China’s slow return.

The National Travel and Tourism Office has named Brian Beall as its next director. Starting May 8, Beall will lead the department toward enhancing the international competitiveness of the U.S. travel and tourism industry and increase U.S. travel and tourism exports. He is rejoining the department after spending nearly four years in the private sector as Cruise Lines International Association’s vice president of government affairs.

International inbound travelers spent nearly $16.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. in March, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, up more than 49 percent year over year.

In a new Skift Research report, entitled Understanding the Chinese Traveler Post-Covid: ​Survey Findings and Trends​, we explore various stages of the Chinese travel journey, decode their spending habits, and offer key takeaways for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and travel suppliers.

International travel to the U.S. has been recovering faster since the U.S. lifted its vaccine requirement for inbound travelers in May, said Brand USA CEO and President Chris Thompson at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday. The absence of China, however, will prevent a full recovery.

In April, international travelers who came to the U.S. spent more than Americans who traveled abroad for the first time in seven months, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data.

The U.S. Department of Commerce is ready to staff the office for the newly-created assistant secretary for travel and tourism. It just needs the money from Congress to do it, said Brian Beall, acting deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism and director of the National Travel and Tourism Office, at a Senate hearing Tuesday.

Canada’s tourism sector could experience a wave of business shutdowns in the next few years. The main problem: Companies there took on piles of debt during the pandemic, and now they’re cash strapped because international travel has been sluggish and operational costs are rising.

More than 5.2 million international visitors came to the U.S. in March, representing 83% of its pre-pandemic level and up 62% from March 2022, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. International visitor volume also exceeded 80% of its pre-pandemic level in February.

In May, international traveler spending in the U.S. reached its highest point of monthly spending since the pandemic started in February 2020, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data.  International travelers spent more than $17.5 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S., up 26% from May 2022.

Chris Thompson will step down as president and CEO of Brand USA, effective May 31, 2024. Brand USA is the U.S. ‘s destination marketing organization. Brand USA’s board of directors will work with an executive search firm to find a successor.

Over 8 million Americans traveled abroad in May, representing 99% of its pre-pandemic volume in May 2019, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.  

International travel to the U.S. has not returned to its 2019 peak, though some markets are doing better than others. Germany, for example, likely needs another year to recover, while India should exceed it this year, said Brand USA President and CEO Chris Thompson. None of that, however, will be enough to make up for the loss of China.

The travel industry faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, but its recovery is proving to be remarkable. Travel stands tall as an absolute megatrend, with immense potential for growth despite short-term economic concerns. This was one of the main takeaways of a LinkedIn Live session with the authors of Skift Research’s State of Travel report.

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

Planning an international trip? Check the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first. The agency just issued new advice for travelers, offering destination-specific recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.