We can all breathe a sigh of relief. The first data sets recently released by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) to show what, if any, bump occurred in the totals of inbound travel to the United States from overseas as well as the neighboring markets of Canada and Mexico showed themselves in the first month of 2022. And they offer, at the very least, encouragement.
As a result, it looks as if the decision to open U.S. boundaries to the EU and other, selected markets beginning Nov. 10, 2021 paid off. No one was expecting record-breaking numbers—and there were none—for January, but the top source market markets from overseas were comforting, familiar names.
The UK, the top overseas source market for overseas travel to the USA for more than two decades, reclaimed its position as the number one, and other familiar names among the top 10 source markets were also evident—such as Brazil, France, South Korea and Germany.
New to this group was/is Colombia, which was the top overseas source market for 2021. (One should note in the OAG Stringency Index, which measures the restrictive measures that each country has put in since January 2020, Colombia and Mexico were at the bottom of the list for the Americas.)
So, the table on overseas source markets below is sure to change, especially when restrictions are lifted by China and Japan, which is currently No. 20, but is usually No. 2. The data follow.
Arrivals to U.S. from Top 20 Overseas Country Markets
January 2022
| Country Market & Rank | Arrivals | % Change from January 2021 |
| 1. United Kingdom | 96,769 | +989.6% |
| 2. Brazil | 70,214 | +1112.0% |
| 3. India | 65,103 | +59.8% |
| 4. Colombia | 58,923 | +78.2% |
| 5. France | 42,815 | +599.7% |
| 6. Germany | 41,922 | +508.3% |
| 7. Argentina | 34,523 | +83.1% |
| 8. Chile | 33,630 | +123.4% |
| 9. Spain | 33,116 | +392.4% |
| 10. South Korea | 31,315 | +203.4% |
| 11. Costa Rica | 25,132 | +88.2% |
| 12. Italy | 23,027 | +454.2% |
| 13. China, PRC | 20,848 | +506.4% |
| 14. Peru | 20,687 | +98.1% |
| 15. Dominican Republic | 20,308 | +25.1% |
| 16. Australia | 17,880 | +805.3% |
| 17. Venezuela | 15,498 | +68.8% |
| 18. Ecuador | 15,184 | +30.7% |
| 19. Guatemala | 15,075 | +85.1% |
| 20. Japan | 14,754 | +47.5% |
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
Arrivals to U.S. from Overseas World Regions
January 2022
| World Region | Number of Arrivals | 2022 Share of Market | % Change YTD vs. 2021 |
| Western Europe | 322,491 | 31.9% | +590.7% |
| Eastern Europe | 34,957 | 3.5% | +167.4% |
| Asia | 169,559 | 16.8% | +108.8% |
| Middle East | 46,658 | 4.6% | +107.2% |
| Africa | 17,428 | 1.7% | +57.4% |
| Oceania | 20,377 | 2.0% | +595.7% |
| South America | 260,275 | 25.8% | +136.6% |
| Central America | 79,970 | 7.9% | +87.4% |
| Caribbean | 58,620 | 5.8% | +48.1% |
| Total Overseas | 1,010,335 | 100% | +173.3% |
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
Overseas Visitors to the USA by World Region of Residence
Month of December 2021*
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2021 Share | % Change from 2020 |
| Western Europe | 641,872 | 37.8% | 2062.1% |
| Eastern Europe | 46,932 | 2.8% | 265.8% |
| Asia | 217,013 | 12.8% | 306.3% |
| Middle East | 56,432 | 3.3% | 290.5% |
| Africa | 17,266 | 1.0% | 97.0% |
| Oceania | 24,467 | 1.4% | 928.0% |
| South America | 406,312 | 23.9% | 153.2% |
| Central America** | 150,829 | 8.9% | 142.5% |
| Caribbean | 138,525 | 8.2% | 95.6% |
| Total Overseas | 1,699,648 | 100.0% | 309.6% |
* Excludes Mexico, Canada ** Excludes Mexico
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
Overseas Visitors to the USA by
World Region of Residence World Region of Residence
Year-to-Date (i.e., Full Year for 2021)
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2021 Share | % Change from 2020 |
| Western Europe | 1,697,633 | 18.5% | (23.5%) |
| Eastern Europe | 263,947 | 2.9% | 6.0% |
| Asia | 1,289,368 | 14.1% | (40.4%) |
| Middle East | 512,779 | 5.6% | 95.8% |
| Africa | 153,841 | 1.7% | 43.6% |
| Oceania | 67,396 | 0.7% | (73.7%) |
| South America | 3,018,855 | 32.9% | 110.7% |
| Central America** | 1,180,707 | 12.9% | 201.9% |
| Caribbean | 990,181 | 10.8% | 93.7% |
| Total Overseas | 9,174,707 | 100.0% | 20.8% |
* Excludes Mexico, Canada ** Excludes Mexico
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
All International Visitors to the USA
December 2021
| All Int’l Visitors to USA | Number of Arrivals | 2021 Share | % Change from 2020 |
| Total Overseas | 1,699,648 | 49.8% | 309/6% |
| Mexico | 1,113,447 | 32.6% | 83.6% |
| Canada | 600,326 | 17.6% | 606.9% |
| Grand Total | 3,413,421 | 100.0% | 208.5% |
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
All International Visitors to the USA
Full Year 2021
| All Int’l Visitors to USA | Number of Arrivals | 2021 Share | % Change from 2020 |
| Total Overseas | 9,174,707 | 41.5% | 20.8% |
| Mexico | 10,396,724 | 47.0% | 52.7% |
| Canada | 2,529,022 | 11.4% | (47.4%) |
| Grand Total | 22,100,453 | 100.0% | 15.0% |
Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, I&A, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) I-94 Program
