The timeliness of the preliminary monthly data on overseas arrivals to the United States makes them all the more welcoming to those who use and study the numbers. Thanks to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), the key figures for those who want to get “real time” numbers on inbound travel to the United States—or close to it for the month of February 2022—have numbers that are indeed, almost, out in real time. So, here are some current notes on the latest (February 2022) NTTO Top 20 Country Markets for arrivals:
● The news tells the international travel and tourism industry for the USA that key markets that have driven the overseas market are “back in action.”
● That it is, the traditional Top 10 out of the Top 20 are beginning to look familiar. First is the UK which, in February, had some unusually strong numbers. Analysts and industry leaders had been predicting such, as British travel agencies and tour operators had been reporting strong pent-up demand for travel abroad.
● Overall, the data would be much stronger were China and Japan to open their own boundaries more. However, this doesn’t seem immediately likely, although INBOUND has noticed that there have been suggestions that even China, with its zero tolerance for COVID-19 infections, might ease some of its restrictions, as the absence of inbound travel is hurting some destinations in the country that depend on tourism.
● It is too early to tell if the Russian invasion of Ukraine (it began on Feb. 24) has had an impact—either overall, regionally or at the country-specific level—on arrivals from abroad to the United States.
● Even though most European markets have been posting numbers that are similar to the pre-pandemic marketplace—they generate nearly 40 percent of overseas arrivals to the USA—the market(s) comprising South America-Central America-the Caribbean have remained strong. This strength will likely fade once China and Japan start posting pre-pandemic arrivals numbers.
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Counties
For Month of February 2022
| Country of Residence & Rank | Number of Arrivals | Percentage change vs. 2021 |
| 1. United Kingdom | 152,058 | 3410.1% |
| 2. Brazil | 72,924 | 1969.9% |
| 3. France | 70,022 | 2684.2% |
| 4. India | 51,841 | 113.1% |
| 5. Colombia | 51,121 | 119.4% |
| 6. Germany | 49,317 | 1349.6% |
| 7. Chile | 36,196 | 187.8% |
| 8. Argentina | 34,941 | 197.3% |
| 9. Spain | 33,921 | 933.5% |
| 10. Ecuador | 24,992 | 73.5% |
| 11. Peru | 24,399 | 220.7% |
| 12. Dominican Republic | 22,818 | 44.7% |
| 13. Italy | 20,455 | 703.7% |
| 14. Ireland | 17,912 | 4794.0% |
| 15. South Korea | 17,577 | 262.4% |
| 16. Australia | 16,492 | 1377.8% |
| 17. Netherlands | 15,659 | 1174.1% |
| 18. Panama | 15,059 | 203.7% |
| 19. Costa Rica | 14,928 | 175.3% |
| 20. Israel | 14,888 | 1382.9% |
| Total for Top 20 Overseas Countries | 757,520 | 410.9% |
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Counties
Year-to-Date Through Month of February 2022
| Country of Residence & Rank | Number of Arrivals | Percentage change vs. 2021 |
| 1. United Kingdom | 248,827 | 1783.2% |
| 2. Brazil | 143,138 | 1436.5% |
| 3. India | 116,944 | 79.7% |
| 4. France | 112,837 | 1206.9% |
| 5. Colombia | 110,044 | 95.2% |
| 6. Germany | 91,239 | 786.3% |
| 7. Chile | 69,826 | 152.7% |
| 8. Argentina | 69,464 | 126.9% |
| 9. Spain | 67,037 | 569.8% |
| 10. South Korea | 48,892 | 222.3% |
| 11. Peru | 45,086 | 149.8% |
| 12. Italy | 43,482 | 549.0% |
| 13. Dominican Republic | 43,126 | 34.8% |
| 14. Ecuador | 40,176 | 54.4% |
| 15. Costa Rica | 40,060 | 113.4% |
| 16. Australia | 34,372 | 1012.0% |
| 17. Guatemala | 29,949 | 99.9% |
| 18. China, PRC | 29,393 | 463.8% |
| 19. Venezuela | 29,366 | 57.3% |
| 20. Ireland | 29,225 | 2544.8% |
| Total for Top 20 Overseas Countries | 1,442,483 | 269.0% |
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by World Region of Residence
For Month of February 2022
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2022 Share | % Change vs. 2021 |
| Western Europe | 429,568 | 41.0% | 1824.6% |
| Eastern Europe | 30,695 | 2.9% | 244.0% |
| Asia | 112,253 | 10.7% | 161.5% |
| Middle East | 34,902 | 3.3% | 303.4% |
| Africa | 12,068 | 1.2% | 150.8% |
| Oceania | 18,687 | 1.8% | 1001.2% |
| South America | 270,210 | 25.8% | 210.4% |
| Central America (Excluding Mexico) | 73,424 | 7.0% | 145.1% |
| Caribbean | 65,662 | 6.3% | 104.1% |
| Total Overseas | 1,047,469 | 100.0% | 339.1% |
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by World Region of Residence
Year-to-Date Through February 2022
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2022 Share | % Change vs. 2021 |
| Western Europe | 752,059 | 36.5% | 989.8% |
| Eastern Europe | 65,652 | 3.2% | 198.5% |
| Asia | 281,812 | 13.7% | 127.0% |
| Middle East | 81,560 | 4.0% | 161.7% |
| Africa | 29,496 | 1.4% | 85.7% |
| Oceania | 39,064 | 1.9% | 744.4% |
| South America | 530,485 | 25.8% | 169.2% |
| Central America (Excluding Mexico) | 153,394 | 7.5% | 111.2% |
| Caribbean | 124,282 | 6.0% | 73.2% |
| Total Overseas | 2,057,804 | 100.0% | 238.3% |
