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For Immediate Release: April 11, 2013
Contact: Mara Lee (202) 482-3809
International Visitors Spend $14.3 Billion in February 2013, Up 5 Percent From February 2012
U.S. Travel and Tourism Exports Continue to Increase from Record-Breaking 2012
WASHINGTON — Spending by international visitors to the United States in February 2013 outpaced February 2012 levels by 5 percent, according to data released by the International Trade Administration (ITA). International visitors spent an estimated $14.3 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month.
“International travel and tourism represents our country’s largest services export,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. “So far this year, spending in the United States by international travelers has contributed $28.6 billion to our economy, which continues our momentum from 2012’s record-setting year. Travel and tourism is an important sector of our economy, which is why we are continuing to increase our efforts to attract more international visitors to the United States.”
Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $10.9 billion during February. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other item's incidental to foreign travel. Fares received by U.S. carriers (and U.S. vessel operators) from international visitors also increased by nearly 5 percent to $3.4 billion for the month, an increase of $154 million when compared to February 2012. Overall, the United States enjoyed a favorable balance of trade for the month of February in the travel and tourism sector, with a surplus of $4.5 billion.
As a whole, travel and tourism-related industries supported 7.7 million jobs in 2012, an increase of 2.1 percent when compared to the previous year.
Increasing U.S. travel and tourism will not come at the expense of national security. The President’s plan for commonsense immigration reform includes a number of proposals to support his commitment to increasing U.S. travel and tourism while maintaining our nation’s security. Specifically, the President’s immigration proposal reforms the Visa Waiver Program to strengthen law enforcement cooperation while facilitating more efficient trade and tourism to the United States, securely streamlines visa and foreign visitor processing, facilitates public-private partnerships aimed at increasing investment in foreign visitor processing, and strengthens and improves infrastructure at ports of entry.
For information on the Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy to increase the number of international visitors to the United States, or to view additional travel and tourism data, please visit http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/
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International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,400 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 70 countries worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.