US travel and tourism industry shatters export record in 2013

WASHINGTON, DC – US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced today that international visitors spent a record-breaking $180.7 billion on US travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2013,

WASHINGTON, DC – US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced today that international visitors spent a record-breaking $180.7 billion on US travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2013, an increase of more than 9 percent when compared to 2012. On average, international visitors spent nearly $1.3 billion more a month in the United States than they did the previous year.

โ€œThis President is the first-ever to establish a national strategy for increasing travel and tourism here in the US, and we clearly have great momentum behind this effort,โ€ said US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. โ€œTravel and tourism to and within the United States has been a significant contributor to our economic recovery, and this Administration is working to ensure we can reach the Presidentโ€™s goal of attracting 100 million international visitors to the United States by 2021.โ€

Travel and tourism exports consist of Travel Receipts and Passenger Fare Receipts.

Travel Receipts: Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled a record-setting $139.6 billion in 2013, an increase of nearly 11 percent when compared to last year. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel.

Passenger Fare Receipts: Fares received by US carriers (and US vessel operators) from international visitors increased by nearly 5 percent to $41.2 billion for the year, breaking the previous record of $39.4 billion set in 2012. Since the global economic downturn in 2009, US passenger fare receipts have risen nearly 58 percent.

US travel and tourism-related exports now account for more than 26 percent of all US services exports, and nearly 8 percent of total US exports.

In 2012, President Obama launched the National Travel and Tourism Strategy, charting a new course toward making America a more attractive and accessible destination than ever before. The Strategy sets a goal of drawing 100 million international visitors by 2021, which is expected to generate $250 billion annually in visitor spending by 2012. The strategy also encourages more Americans to travel within the United States.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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