What Attracts International Visitors to the U.S.?
Overseas tourists arrive for vacation or to visit family, most often filling their itineraries with shopping, sightseeing, and national park visits
Source: Luxury Link analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis and National Travel and Tourism Office data
The reasons international visitors come to the United States shape how they contribute to the tourism economy. Leisure travel overwhelmingly drives international arrivals to the United States. More than 23.6 million international visitors travel to the U.S. for a vacation or holiday each year, making it by far the most common primary purpose of a trip. Visiting friends or relatives ranks second at 12.1 million visitors, while business travel accounts for 4.4 million. Travel for conventions and conferences (2.9 million), education (1.6 million), health treatment (274,000), and religious purposes (206,000) represents a much smaller share of international arrivals.
That spending extends across a wide range of attractions and experiences once visitors arrive. Shopping is the most popular activity, with 28.4 million international travelers shopping during their visit, followed closely by sightseeing at 26.7 million. Nature-based tourism also plays a significant role, with 11.6 million exploring national parks. Meanwhile, 9.7 million visit art galleries and museums, and 9.5 million venture into small towns and rural areas. Amusement parks (9.4 million), historical sites (8.9 million), and fine dining (8.2 million) also attract millions of international visitors each year, highlighting the broad appeal of the country's retail, cultural, recreational, and natural attractions.
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