The buoyant discussion of what might be possible in Q4—a financial quarter that might actually be in the black for the USA’s inbound tourism industry—obscures an otherwise bleak portrait if one were to take even a cursory look at the actual numbers that measure what has happened in 2021. It has been, to borrow the famous quote from the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, an experience that has been “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
Following are tables recently released by NTTO, with quick data on the performance of the inbound tourism industry in and through August.
A note: it may be that the return of China and India’s return to the Top 15 Overseas Markets has something to do with the large number of students from China and India who likely returned to the USA to register for, and begin, a new semester in a U.S. college or university. Both China and India have sent large numbers of students to the United States in the past decade.
A NOTE on National Travel and Tourism Office COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor:
The COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor tracks a number of indicators that measure the performance of the travel and tourism sector in the United States in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This monitor has six sections: 1. COVID-19; 2. International Visitation; 3. General Travel; 4. Travel in Trade; 5. Business; and 6. Consumer Sentiment and an Overview of the U.S. economy. It is updated weekly. Click on this link to get a sample of the types of pages maintained at the site.
