Visitors tips

Global average wait times for U.S. visitor visas dropped below 150 days in January for the first time since 2021, according to the U.S. Travel Association. They still, however, remain higher than 400 days for India, Brazil, Mexico and top inbound visa-requiring markets (excluding China).

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, July 19, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

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. 

International visitors spent $15.9 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. in November, up 57 percent year over year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.  That’s an improvement from November 2021, but it’s billions of dollars down from international visitor spending in pre-pandemic November 2019, which had $20 billion.

The number of international visitors to the U.S. reached 4.6 million in November, up 61 percent year over year, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. November’s volume represented 76 percent of pre-pandemic November 2019’s.

Americans traveling abroad spent over $15.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, other countries in January, more than any single month prior to the pandemic, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Hong Kong’s March retail sales rose 40.9 percent from a year earlier, the second biggest percentage rise on record, as consumer and visitor spending continued to improve, though the low base of comparison also contributed, government data showed on Thursday.

Thailand received one million Chinese tourists between January and May 18, a government official said on Sunday, after China’s border reopening.

The United Arab Emirates has lifted a visa ban on Lebanese nationals following a temporary suspension over security concerns, Lebanon’s foreign minister said on Friday,

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, June 28. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is seeking to establish a tourism representative office in China, part of the ministry’s efforts to develop marketing plans that promote Oman’s tourism attractions through its global offices.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is actively focusing on the Middle East as a crucial source market for tourism, aiming to attract 400,000 visitors from the region this year. Saudi Arabia is expected to lead the way with a projected 150,000 visitors, driven by the restoration of direct flights and enhanced diplomatic relations with Thailand.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off in Australia last week and is expected to bring a significant tourism boost to the country. Tourism Australia estimates the 35-match tournament to have an economic benefit worth $385 million.

Roaming the vast Nara Park grounds in the city of Nara, Japan are sacred wild deer, who approach visitors and eat out of their hands as if in a storybook. Now, the transportation to see these deer is equally enchanting.

Corsica, the island nestled between France and Italy in the Mediterranean, is well known for its beautiful sandy beaches, picture-postcard villages perched on clifftops and stunning central mountains—but this August, it doesn't have as many tourists as usual.

The owners of an English farm are begging visitors to quit posing for naked pictures in its sunflower field. 

When you live in New York City, everyone wants to visit you. 

Like many New Yorkers, I often take the subway to get around the city.

If you have upcoming plans to travel to Maui, the state of Hawai'i’s tourism organization is asking you to reconsider your trip to the island so that its resources can be devoted to helping Hawai'ians impacted by devastating wildfires.

Visiting at night and taking free public transportation are just two of the ways the National Park Service is encouraging visitors to go green.

Greece will limit daily visitors to its famous Acropolis next month in an effort to control crowding.