Special Report
These 25 Countries Make Up Almost All of US Tourism
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Hollywood does a pretty good job at making the United States an attractive place. Some of the most popular movies and TV shows are filmed or set here, and they often highlight the American way of life. It’s only normal that, as a result, the U.S. has become the place to see.
24/7 Tempo identified the countries most visitors come from using data from the National Trade & Tourism Office. Of the almost 80 million international visitors in 2018, about 71 million, or 92%, came from the 25 countries on this list.
Many people choose to travel in the summer. But with climates that vary greatly by region and cities that range from bustling melting pots to charming small towns, America attracts global travelers year-round.
In fact, the U.S. was the third most-visited country in the world in 2017, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. The tourism industry supports about 7.8 million jobs. It generated more than $1.6 trillion in 2017, which was 2.8% of the entire gross domestic product.
Tourists come for many different reasons — iconic places, shopping, art, entertainment. They get a glimpse of the incredibly diverse country and the American way of life. Some things may surprise them — like super-sized foods, drinks, and highways, while others — the scenery, massive celebrations, and national pride — may inspire them. Tourists come to see attractions, too — and in the U.S. Mother Nature has many hits. These are the most beautiful attractions in America.
International visitors contribute to the economy. The amount has been increasing steadily since 2004. In 2018 alone, tourists spent more than $256 billion in the United States. The biggest spenders are travelers from China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom. But they don’t spend as much as Americans do when they travel — here are the countries that spend the most abroad.
Click here to learn about the countries that love to visit America.
To identify the 25 countries that travel to the United States the most, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the countries with the highest numbers of non-U.S. residents who visited the country in 2018 from the National Trade & Tourism Office (NTTO), an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NTTO works with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to release I-94 arrivals data, providing a headcount of all travelers entering the United States via air, sea, or land. An I-94 form is needed by everyone entering the country except U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, people with immigrant visas, and most Canadian citizens visiting or in transit. Data for total arrivals in 2017 also came from the NTTO.
25. Chile
> Total visits in 2018: 364,622
> Total arrivals in 2017: 330,350
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 10.4%
> Busiest month in 2018: July (40,203 visitors)
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24. Israel
> Total visits in 2018: 439,153
> Total arrivals in 2017: 421,202
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 4.3%
> Busiest month in 2018: September (59,929 visitors)
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23. Ecuador
> Total visits in 2018: 450,857
> Total arrivals in 2017: 418,009
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 7.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (48,027 visitors)
22. Dominican Republic
> Total visits in 2018: 451,058
> Total arrivals in 2017: 423,079
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 6.6%
> Busiest month in 2018: December (58,314 visitors)
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21. Switzerland
> Total visits in 2018: 463,139
> Total arrivals in 2017: 441,270
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 5.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: July (65,322 visitors)
20. Taiwan
> Total visits in 2018: 478,001
> Total arrivals in 2017: 474,699
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 0.7%
> Busiest month in 2018: June (52,575 visitors)
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19. Venezuela
> Total visits in 2018: 501,572
> Total arrivals in 2017: 500,247
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 0.3%
> Busiest month in 2018: December (62,389 visitors)
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18. Sweden
> Total visits in 2018: 506,323
> Total arrivals in 2017: 522,211
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -3.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: October (57,811 visitors)
17. Ireland
> Total visits in 2018: 530,802
> Total arrivals in 2017: 483,615
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 9.8%
> Busiest month in 2018: October (57,875 visitors)
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16. Netherlands
> Total visits in 2018: 725,283
> Total arrivals in 2017: 700,872
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 3.5%
> Busiest month in 2018: July (105,493 visitors)
15. Spain
> Total visits in 2018: 876,248
> Total arrivals in 2017: 826,818
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 6.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (128,215 visitors)
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14. Colombia
> Total visits in 2018: 942,617
> Total arrivals in 2017: 841,931
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 12.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: December (119,726 visitors)
13. Argentina
> Total visits in 2018: 994,035
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,018,177
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -2.4%
> Busiest month in 2018: January (101,590 visitors)
12. Italy
> Total visits in 2018: 1,073,383
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,032,107
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 4.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (174,002 visitors)
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11. Australia
> Total visits in 2018: 1,362,431
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,323,703
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 2.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: September (152,174 visitors)
10. India
> Total visits in 2018: 1,378,035
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,285,466
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 7.2%
> Busiest month in 2018: May (197,535 visitors)
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9. France
> Total visits in 2018: 1,767,461
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,667,506
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 6.0%
> Busiest month in 2018: July (212,398 visitors)
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8. Germany
> Total visits in 2018: 2,062,462
> Total arrivals in 2017: 2,080,425
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -0.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: September (231,501 visitors)
7. Brazil
> Total visits in 2018: 2,209,372
> Total arrivals in 2017: 1,912,447
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 15.5%
> Busiest month in 2018: December (249,270 visitors)
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6. South Korea
> Total visits in 2018: 2,210,597
> Total arrivals in 2017: 2,334,839
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -5.3%
> Busiest month in 2018: January (224,005 visitors)
5. China, PRC
> Total visits in 2018: 2,991,813
> Total arrivals in 2017: 3,173,915
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -5.7%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (388,259 visitors)
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4. Japan
> Total visits in 2018: 3,493,313
> Total arrivals in 2017: 3,595,607
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: -2.8%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (380,422 visitors)
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3. United Kingdom
> Total visits in 2018: 4,659,178
> Total arrivals in 2017: 4,482,707
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 3.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: October (502,065 visitors)
2. Mexico
> Total visits in 2018: 18,523,155
> Total arrivals in 2017: 17,823,509
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 3.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: December (1,760,121 visitors)
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1. Canada
> Total visits in 2018: 21,211,109
> Total arrivals in 2017: 20,212,332
> Year-over-year change in arrivals: 4.9%
> Busiest month in 2018: August (2,449,480 visitors)
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