Why International Visitors?

Discover New England (DNE) is a cooperative marketing alliance funded by the New England States to attract international travelers to the region. These travelers are often much more familiar with the New England “brand” than they are the individual states.

DNE focuses its promotional efforts on the top overseas markets of the United Kingdom and Germany. Below, learn more about why international travelers are important to New England and the important role they play in the U.S. economy.

Data source: the U.S. Department of Commerce – International Trade Administration – Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTA).

Why focus on international travelers?

International visitors are sophisticated and savvy travelers, perfect for New England.
They enjoy the abundance of cultural and learning experiences found in this region of the country.
Their average length of stay is 15 nights – four times that of a domestic visitor.
International visitors spend up to 10 times more than the domestic visitor.
The average European gets 4-6 weeks paid vacation and typically takes at least one international vacation a year.
These visitors do not cancel because of the weather.
They often travel at different times of year and fill the “slow” gaps in the U.S. market.
Because they are here for long periods of time, international travelers help fill beds in New England hotels and inns on weekday nights when these properties might otherwise have vacancies.

International Visitors & New England – 2010

More than 1.6 million overseas visitors came to New England in 2010 (excludes Canada and Mexico). Visitation grew 3% over 2009. The region’s market share of incoming overseas travelers to the United States was 6.3% – down slightly from the previous year.

UK Travelers: an estimated 250,000 visited the New England region in 2010 – a 0.4% increase over 2009.
German Travelers: an estimated 145,000 came to New England in 2010 – up 17% from the previous year!

The Status of International Travel to the US – 2011

International Visitation: A record 62 million international visitors (includes Canada/Mexico) came to the U.S. in 2011 — 2.5 million (4%) more visitors than the year before. International travel is one of the largest exports for the United States, ranking ahead of agricultural goods and motor vehicles. It is the single largest services sector “export,” accounting for 25 percent of all services exports.

Spending: In 2011, international visitors spent over $152 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services – a 13% increase over 2010. Although international travelers represent only 4% of total travelers in the US, they account for 17% of total travel-related spending. Spending by international visitors to the United States in 2011 directly supported 1.1 million American jobs.

Top Markets: For 2011, the top 10 Markets for International Visitors into the US were: Canada, Mexico, U.K., Japan, Germany, Brazil, France, South Korea, People’s Republic of China, Australia.

Overseas Only: Travel from overseas to the United States (excludes Canada/Mexico) grew six percent for the year –creating a new record level of overseas visits for the United States. In 2011, travel from overseas markets accounted for 45 percent of total arrivals to the United States. Twenty-four of the top 50 over¬seas markets set new visitation records in 2011.

International Travel Forecast – 2010-2016: According to a U.S. Department of Commerce forecast, the United States will see a 5% annual growth rate in visitor volume over the 2012-2016 time frame. By 2016 this growth is expected to produce 81 million visitors — a 36% increase and an additional 22 million visitors compared to 2011. China is the country with the highest projected growth rate for this period. By 2016, visitation from China is expected to grow 274% to 2.1 million incoming travelers.

Travel from the United Kingdom

UK travelers rank third in overall incoming visits to the US (behind Canada and Mexico) and first for overseas travelers to America. In 2011, 3.8 million U.K. travelers visited the US. – essentially flat over 2010 due to the struggling UK economy. Pleasure travelers were down by 2%.

OTA forecasts that by 2016, 4.7 million U.K. travelers will visit the US – a 24% increase over 2010.

In 2010 (awaiting full stats for 2011):

Nearly 3.9 million U.K. travelers came to the U.S. – 6.4% of total incoming visitor travel volume.
UK visitors spent a projected $11.5 billion in the U.S.
For 17%, it was their first trip to the U.S.
These travelers made their trip decision 130 days in advance.
The length of stay in the U.S. (mean nights): 13.7 nights
Household income (mean average): $102,800
Average age of UK visitors: Female (43), Male (47)
Average number of states visited: 1.4

Travel from Germany

In 2011, Germany again ranked fifth in overall visitation to the U.S. and second for incoming European countries. Over 1.8 million German travelers came to the US – a 6% jump over 2010. By 2016, OTA projects that 2.1 million German travelers will visit – a 27% jump over 2010.

In 2010 (awaiting full stats for 2011):

Over 1.7 million German travelers visited the U.S.
German visitors spent a projected $5.7 billion in the U.S.
For 27%, it was their first trip to the US.
These travelers made their trip decision 90 days in advance.
Length of stay in the U.S. (mean nights): 18.2
Household income (mean average): $99,300
Average age: Female (39), Male (43)
Average number of states visited: 1.8

Learn more about Discover New England’s Annual Tourism Summit & International Marketplace to see how your organization might increase its business from overseas travelers.