Travel / news
U.S. Overseas Arrivals Fall 4.3% in September as Western Europe Lags
Overseas arrivals to the U.S. fell 4.3% year over year in September to 2.7 million, extending a weak stretch for inbound travel. Gains from China and South America were not enough to offset a decline in visitors from Western Europe.
Preliminary National Travel and Tourism Office data put September overseas arrivals at 2.7 million, down 4.3% from a year earlier. The month followed a nearly 12% year-over-year decline in August.
June and July also produced disappointing inbound figures, a period that included World Cup visitors. So far this year, overseas arrivals to the U.S. are down 5.7%.
Arrivals from China and South America provided gains, but they were insufficient to make up for the drop in travel from Western Europe. Western Europe remained the main drag on the overall overseas total.
The September figures are preliminary. They extend a run of weaker inbound readings and leave the U.S. behind last year’s pace for overseas visitors.