ITA Data Release: NTTO Publishes Second Quarter 2023 Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) Inbound Results

Average Overseas visitor spent $1,933 per trip in the U.S.

Average Mexican visitor spent $1,271 per trip in the U.S.

Average Canadian visitor spent $1,164 per trip in the U.S.

The International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) is releasing the results of the Inbound Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) covering the second quarter of 2023. The Inbound SIAT measures the characteristics of international inbound air travelers who visited the United States.

International Inbound Air Travelers To the United States in the Second Quarter 2023

• Overall (Overseas, Canada, and Mexico) international air travelers spent $18.9 billion in the United States in the second quarter of 2023, up 32.9% from the second quarter of 2022.
• Top-line characteristics of the 7.7 million Overseas visitor arrivals to the United States:

  • The average overseas visitor had a combined annual household income of $95,311, stayed 19.01 nights and spent $1,933 while in the United States.  Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $14.9 billion, up 29.5% from the second quarter of 2022.

  • The average overseas visitor made decision to visit the United States 98.4 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 72.8 days prior to trip.

  • 61% traveled alone, 20.8% traveled with a spouse/partner, and 16.3% traveled with family/relatives.
  • Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (53.2%, similar to 53.3% in 2022 Q2), followed by Visit Friends/Relatives (24.1%, down from 27.9% in 2022 Q2), and Business¹ (18.4%, up from 13.7% in 2022 Q2)
  • Shopping was the top (80.5%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (76.9%), National Parks/Monuments (36.6%), Art Galleries/Museums (30.4%), and Small Towns/Countryside (29.1%). 
  • Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (70.5%) type of accommodation used, while Auto (Private or Company) was the top (36.6%) type of transportation used in the United States.
  • New York (2.4 million) was the top state visited, followed by Florida (1.9 million), California (1.6 million), Nevada (519K), and Texas (479K). 
  • The United Kingdom (968,000 visitor arrivals) was the top source market, followed by India (507K), Germany (467K), France (408K), and Brazil (369K).
• Top-line characteristics of the 2.6 million Canadian-air visitor arrivals to the United States:

  • The average Canadian-air visitor had a combined annual household income of $129,397, stayed 7.28 nights and spent $1,164 while in the United States.  Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $3.0 billion, up 52.4% from the second quarter of 2022.

  • The average Canadian visitor made decision to visit the United States 77.4 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 57.1 days prior to trip. 

  • 61.6% traveled alone, 22.1% traveled with a spouse/partner, and 14.2% traveled with family/relatives.
  • Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (56%, down from 55.1% in 2022 Q2), followed by Business¹ (21.7%, up from 18.9% in 2022 Q2), and Visit Friends/Relatives (21%, down from 22.9% in 2022 Q2). 
  • Shopping was the top (68.7%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (67%), Experience Fine Dining (27.6%), Amusement/Theme Parks (19.6%), and National Parks/Monuments (18.8%). 
  • Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (79%) type of accommodation used, while Ride-sharing Service was the top (36.4%) type of transportation used in the United States.
  • Florida (602,000) was the top state visited, followed by California (527K), Nevada (415K), New York (350K), and Texas (138K). 

• Top-line characteristics of the 724,000 Mexican-air visitor arrivals to the United States:

  • The average Mexican visitor had a combined annual household income of $70,045, stayed 11.64 nights and spent $1,271 while in the United States.  Estimated overall travel spending in the United States was $920.2 million, up 34.8% from the second quarter of 2022. 

  • The average visitor made decision to visit the United States 56.9 days prior to trip and made an airline reservation 39.3 days prior to trip.

  • 67.5% traveled alone, 18.1% traveled with family/relatives, and 13.6% traveled with a spouse/partner.

  • Vacation/Holiday was the top main purpose of the trip (45.8%, down from 52.2% in 2022 Q2) , followed by Visit Friends/Relatives (27.3%, up from 26.5% in 2022 Q2), and Business¹ (23.8%, up from 17.8% in 2022 Q2).
  • Shopping was the top (79%) leisure activity engaged, followed by Sightseeing (60.5%), Amusement/Theme Parks (27.5%), National Parks/Monuments (22.5%), and Experience Fine Dining (21.2%). 
  • Hotel or Motel, etc. was the top (59%) type of accommodation used, while Auto (Private or Company) was the top (48.9%) type of transportation used in the United States.
  • Texas (146,000) was the top state visited, followed by California (128K), Florida (117K), Illinois (77K) and New York (69K). 

How to Access Q2 Inbound SIAT Statistics

• The SIAT Inbound Survey Monitor is an interactive tool to analyze the characteristics of international inbound air visitors at the country or world region level on an annual or quarterly basis from 2012 to present. The Monitor is also capable of calculating current year-to-date (YTD) estimates, for example 2Q2023 YTD (which includes 3Q2022+4Q2022+1Q2023+2Q2023)
• The Survey of International Air Travelers Results — Inbound Page includes quarterly and annual SIAT results for:
  • Overseas: containing 4 Banners each containing 40 tables: Banner 1 (Total Overseas), Banner 2 (European Countries/Regions), Banner 3 (Asian Countries/Regions), and Banner 4 (Latin Countries/Regions. 
  • Canada: containing 1 Banner with containing 40 tables
  • Mexico: containing 1 Banner with containing 40 tables
• Learn more about the Survey of International Air Travelers by visiting the SIAT Program Page.

¹ Includes: visit customer, visit supplier, sales/marketing, and/or internal company meeting, and convention/conference/trade show

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