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New York joins California and Florida as U.S. travel spending touches a high, while overseas visitors pour billions into American states. Government data shows where international travellers spend most.
New York joins California and Florida as U.S. travel spending touches a high, while overseas visitors pour billions into American states. Meanwhile, government data reveals where international travellers spend most. New York leads the nation, followed by California and Florida, as overseas tourism fuels hotels, restaurants, attractions, transport and retail. Moreover, Texas and Massachusetts strengthen the national picture, proving that international travel remains a powerful economic engine. However, the spending boom is uneven. Therefore, these figures offer a sharper view of America’s tourism economy, showing where visitors spend, why destinations prosper, and how international demand supports jobs across states.
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New York, California and Florida dominated overseas visitor spending in the United States in 2024, with international travellers generating billions of dollars for state economies, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and reinforcing the importance of international tourism to America’s travel industry.
International tourism continues to play a major role in the U.S. economy, but its financial impact is heavily concentrated in a relatively small number of states.
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According to the latest state-level data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), overseas visitors spent approximately $169.8 billion across the United States in 2024. The expenditure, which excludes visitors from Canada and Mexico, supported an estimated 906,000 American jobs.
New York was the largest beneficiary, followed by California and Florida. Together, these three states generated roughly $84.1 billion in overseas visitor spending, demonstrating how strongly international US tourism is concentrated around major gateway cities, entertainment destinations, beaches, business centres and globally recognised attractions.
The figures provide an important insight into where international travellers are spending money in America and which destinations have the greatest exposure to changes in global travel demand.
President Donald Trump is set to meet senior executives from some of the United States’ largest airlines, hotel groups and travel companies on Wednesday as the White House seeks to extend a summer tourism surge partly driven by the FIFA World Cup.
Representatives from American Airlines, Booking Holdings, Caesars Entertainment, Carnival, Hard Rock International, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, MGM Resorts International, Raffles & Fairmont and the Venetian are expected to attend, according to a White House official.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman, White House FIFA World Cup task force Executive Director Andrew Giuliani and Casey Wasserman, chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, are also expected to participate.
The meeting comes as the U.S. travel sector attempts to maintain momentum created by the World Cup while dealing with weaker international visitor numbers and new entry barriers affecting some foreign travellers.
The tournament generated significant tourism activity across host destinations and placed Trump at the centre of several high-profile World Cup events. His relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino also drew considerable attention during the tournament.
Trump appeared alongside Infantino following the World Cup final in New Jersey as Spain received the championship trophy.
Meanwhile, Infantino faces growing scrutiny over an abandoned proposal involving FIFA’s commercial rights.
The White House meeting highlights the administration’s focus on strengthening tourism demand, supporting major travel businesses and maximising the economic benefits generated by large-scale international sporting events.Ident State Overseas visitor spending Overseas visits Jobs supported 1 New York $32.07B 9.80M 156,840 2 California $26.89B 6.96M 132,670 3 Florida $25.15B 8.86M 124,970 4 Texas $7.88B 2.09M 45,620 5 Massachusetts $7.72B 1.50M 42,250 6 Hawaii $7.46B 1.97M 35,170 7 Illinois $5.74B 1.41M 31,250 8 Nevada $5.16B 2.64M 25,550 9 Pennsylvania $3.73B 804K 24,210 10 New Jersey $3.43B 1.23M 16,860
New York led every U.S. state in overseas visitor spending in 2024, according to NTTO.
International visitors spent approximately $32.07 billion in the state, while overseas visits reached around 9.80 million. The spending supported an estimated 156,840 jobs.
New York’s position reflects the exceptional international appeal of New York City, one of the world’s best-known urban tourism destinations. International travellers visit the state for leisure, shopping, entertainment, cultural attractions, business, events and visiting friends and relatives.
The concentration of spending also demonstrates an important characteristic of international tourism: visitors do not necessarily distribute their expenditure evenly across a country. Gateway destinations with extensive international air connectivity and a large supply of hotels, restaurants, attractions and retail businesses can capture a disproportionately high share of visitor spending.
For New York, the economic value extends well beyond hotel rooms and sightseeing. Overseas visitors contribute to restaurants, taxis and other local transport, entertainment venues, museums, shops and a wide range of tourism-related businesses.
California ranked second, recording approximately $26.89 billion in overseas visitor spending during 2024.
The state welcomed an estimated 6.96 million overseas visits, with spending supporting around 132,670 jobs.
California’s international tourism proposition is unusually broad. Los Angeles and San Francisco provide major urban and cultural attractions, while destinations across the state offer beaches, national parks, wine regions, entertainment and outdoor experiences.
The state also benefits from its position as a major international gateway. Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport connect California with important source markets across Asia, Europe and other regions.
The spending figures therefore reflect more than one destination. California’s tourism economy is distributed across numerous communities and travel experiences, giving the state a substantial international visitor footprint.
Florida ranked third, with overseas visitors spending approximately $25.15 billion in 2024.
The state recorded around 8.86 million overseas visits, while international visitor spending supported approximately 124,970 jobs.
Florida’s position is particularly notable because its overseas visitation exceeded California’s total despite generating slightly less spending.
The state’s international tourism appeal is driven by several distinct products. Orlando is a major destination for theme parks and family holidays, Miami attracts leisure and business travellers, while destinations along Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts offer beaches, resorts, cruises and warm-weather holidays.
Florida is also a critical cruise gateway. Ports serving Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa connect the state with international cruise markets and contribute to the wider tourism ecosystem.
The NTTO figures illustrate how a diversified tourism economy can generate enormous visitor expenditure from several different travel segments rather than depending on a single destination or attraction.
“New York’s leadership in overseas visitor spending shows the extraordinary strength of America’s tourism economy. California and Florida reinforce that momentum, while other states are capturing valuable international demand. These figures demonstrate that travel spending reaches far beyond hotels and airports, directly supporting restaurants, attractions, retailers, transport providers and thousands of jobs. The opportunity now is to ensure more destinations benefit from global travellers by improving connectivity, developing distinctive experiences and delivering strong value. America has an exceptional tourism proposition, and international visitors remain essential to its economic vitality.” — Anup Kumar Keshan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Travel And Tour World.
Texas generated approximately $7.88 billion in overseas visitor spending in 2024, placing it fourth among U.S. states.
The state recorded around 2.09 million overseas visits, with visitor expenditure supporting approximately 45,620 jobs.
Texas offers a markedly different tourism profile from New York, California and Florida. International visitors can travel to major metropolitan areas such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin for business, leisure, culture, food, events and entertainment.
Its large economy and extensive international connections also make Texas an important destination for business travel and meetings.
The state’s performance demonstrates that international tourism spending is not limited to traditional holiday destinations. Major commercial centres can attract substantial visitor expenditure through a combination of business travel, leisure tourism and major events.
Massachusetts completed the top five, generating approximately $7.72 billion in overseas visitor spending.
The state received around 1.50 million overseas visits, with the expenditure supporting an estimated 42,250 jobs.
Boston is central to Massachusetts’ international appeal. The city combines historic attractions with higher education, healthcare, technology, business, culture and convention activity.
This gives the state an important mix of leisure and business tourism. International visitors can spend money on accommodation, restaurants, museums, local transport, shopping and entertainment while also contributing to sectors connected with meetings, education and professional travel.
Massachusetts’ position among the five highest-spending states highlights the economic importance of destination diversity.
Hawaii ranked sixth, recording approximately $7.46 billion in overseas visitor spending from around 1.97 million overseas visits.
The state supported approximately 35,170 jobs through overseas visitor expenditure.
Hawaii’s figures stand out because of the relationship between visitor numbers and spending. It receives considerably fewer overseas visitors than New York or Florida, yet generates spending comparable to much larger mainland destinations.
The state’s resort-based tourism model, accommodation costs, long-haul travel requirements and visitor concentration around major islands contribute to its substantial economic value per trip.
For destinations such as Hawaii, international tourism can therefore have an outsized economic impact even without the visitor volumes associated with major metropolitan states.
Illinois generated approximately $5.74 billion in overseas visitor spending during 2024, supported by around 1.41 million overseas visits and an estimated 31,250 jobs.
Chicago is the principal international tourism gateway and offers a combination of architecture, museums, restaurants, entertainment, shopping, business travel and conventions.
Nevada generated approximately $5.16 billion, with around 2.64 million overseas visits supporting an estimated 25,550 jobs.
Nevada’s performance is heavily connected with Las Vegas, a globally recognised destination for entertainment, conventions, hospitality, gaming and events.
The contrast between Illinois and Nevada is revealing. Nevada recorded substantially more overseas visits than Illinois but generated less total spending. This demonstrates that visitor numbers alone do not determine the economic value of international tourism.
The amount visitors spend, the length of their stay and the products they purchase are equally important.
Pennsylvania recorded approximately $3.73 billion in overseas visitor spending, with around 804,000 overseas visits supporting approximately 24,210 jobs.
New Jersey generated approximately $3.43 billion from around 1.23 million overseas visits, supporting an estimated 16,860 jobs.
Both states benefit from their proximity to major metropolitan and international gateway markets. Their tourism economies also demonstrate the importance of regional travel patterns.
International visitors arriving through major airports may travel across state borders during a single trip. Consequently, the economic impact of an international journey can extend beyond the destination in which the traveller initially arrives.
Perhaps the most important finding in the government data is the extraordinary concentration of overseas visitor spending.
The five leading states — New York, California, Florida, Texas and Massachusetts — collectively generated approximately $99.7 billion in overseas visitor expenditure in 2024.
That represents approximately 58.7% of the $169.8 billion national total.
In practical terms, nearly three-fifths of all overseas visitor spending recorded by NTTO was concentrated in just five states.
This concentration creates both opportunities and vulnerabilities.
For leading tourism states, strong international demand can deliver significant employment and business revenue. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers, transport operators and entertainment companies all benefit from international visitors.
At the same time, these destinations are particularly exposed to changes in international travel patterns, airline capacity, exchange rates, economic conditions, geopolitical developments and perceptions of the United States as a destination.
U.S. travel spending increased 6.2% year on year in June 2026, reaching $122.1 billion, but an 8.1% increase in travel prices and another decline in overseas arrivals reveal a more complicated picture for the American tourism industry.
The U.S. travel economy continued to generate substantial spending in June, but the latest figures show that stronger revenues do not necessarily mean more people are travelling. According to the U.S. Travel Association’s June 2026 Travel Insights data, travel spending rose 6.2% from a year earlier, while the organisation’s Travel Price Index increased 8.1%.
That gap is significant. Travel expenditure is growing, but prices are rising even faster, suggesting that inflation and higher travel costs are contributing heavily to the increase in nominal spending.
U.S. travellers and visitors generated approximately $122.1 billion in travel spending during June 2026, representing a 6.2% year-on-year increase.
The result demonstrates that demand for travel remains substantial despite higher costs across transportation, accommodation and other tourism-related services.
However, the headline spending growth needs to be viewed alongside travel volumes. A market can record higher revenue even when fewer people travel if fares, hotel rates, food prices and other expenses increase.
That is increasingly visible across several parts of the U.S. travel sector.
The U.S. Travel Association reported that travel prices were 8.1% higher in June 2026 than in June 2025.
The increase was considerably higher than the overall U.S. consumer inflation rate, which stood at approximately 3.5% year on year in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For travellers, the implication is straightforward: vacations, business trips and other journeys are becoming more expensive.
Air travel provides one of the clearest examples. Passenger volume declined 1.3% year on year to 80.7 million, while airline fares increased by a striking 26.5%.
The combination indicates that airlines generated stronger pricing rather than simply benefiting from a surge in passenger numbers.
Hotels also experienced substantial price and revenue pressure. National hotel RevPAR increased 8.4%, while urban properties recorded an even stronger 13.7% increase.
International tourism remains one of the weaker components of the U.S. travel recovery.
Overseas arrivals declined 1.8% in June 2026, although the result represented an improvement from the much sharper 6.5% decline recorded in May.
Despite the improvement, overseas visitation remained approximately 4.3% below the comparable year-to-date level.
The figures matter because international visitors represent an important source of export revenue for the U.S. tourism economy. They spend money on hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, transportation and entertainment while supporting jobs across destinations.
The weakness is not uniform across international markets. Some source markets are recovering more strongly than others, creating an uneven international tourism landscape for U.S. destinations.
Falling arrival numbers do not mean international tourism spending has collapsed.
The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office reported that international visitors spent more than $21 billion in the United States in June 2026, an increase of approximately 2.3% from June 2025.
Nearly $11.9 billion was spent directly on travel and tourism-related goods and services, including accommodation, food, recreation, entertainment and local transportation.
This helps explain how overseas arrivals can decline while international visitor spending increases. Visitors who do travel to the United States may be spending more per trip, partly because the cost of tourism services has increased.
The June data presents a travel industry that remains economically strong but increasingly price-sensitive.
The most important takeaway is that higher spending should not automatically be interpreted as stronger travel volumes.
Travel spending grew 6.2%, but travel prices increased 8.1%. At the same time, air passenger numbers fell 1.3% and overseas arrivals remained below previous-year levels.
This suggests that the U.S. tourism market is generating significant economic value while confronting an affordability challenge.
For domestic travellers, higher airfares, hotel prices and other holiday expenses could influence trip frequency, destination selection and length of stay. For international visitors, the cost of travelling to and within the United States could similarly affect demand.
Major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, have provided additional opportunities for U.S. destinations, particularly in host cities. However, sustaining international demand beyond major events will depend partly on the industry’s ability to remain competitive on price and deliver value.
June’s $122.1 billion travel-spending figure is undeniably significant. Yet the surrounding statistics provide a warning against interpreting the result as a straightforward tourism boom.
The U.S. travel industry is earning more, but travellers are also paying substantially more. Meanwhile, passenger volumes and overseas arrivals continue to show areas of weakness.
The central story for U.S. tourism in 2026 is therefore not simply growth. It is growth under pressure from higher prices and uneven international demand.
If travel prices continue rising faster than overall inflation, the industry could face increasing pressure to demonstrate value to both domestic and international travellers. For now, June shows that Americans and international visitors are still willing to spend—but the next challenge will be determining whether that spending reflects more travel or simply a more expensive travel environment.
The NTTO data also shows why travel industry analysis should not rely solely on arrival figures.
Florida, for example, recorded approximately 8.86 million overseas visits, compared with California’s 6.96 million, yet California generated approximately $1.74 billion more in overseas visitor spending.
Nevada recorded approximately 2.64 million overseas visits, considerably more than Massachusetts’ 1.50 million, but Massachusetts generated substantially more spending.
These differences can arise from factors including the duration of trips, accommodation costs, visitor profiles, travel purpose and spending behaviour.
A traveller staying for several nights in a major city and spending heavily on accommodation, dining, attractions and shopping can have a significantly different economic impact from a visitor making a shorter or lower-cost trip.
For tourism authorities and businesses, this distinction is critical. Attracting more visitors is valuable, but attracting visitors who stay longer and spend across a broad range of local businesses can generate greater economic benefits.
The financial importance of overseas visitors extends directly into employment.
NTTO estimates that overseas visitor spending supported approximately 906,000 U.S. jobs in 2024.
New York alone accounted for an estimated 156,840 jobs, while California supported approximately 132,670 and Florida approximately 124,970.
These figures demonstrate why international tourism is considered an important component of the U.S. services economy.
Visitor spending can support workers in hotels and restaurants, but the economic effect is wider. Local transportation, entertainment, retail, recreation and other tourism-related activities also benefit from international demand.
The result is a broad economic chain linking international arrivals with local businesses and workers.
The latest government figures provide a clear picture of the U.S. international tourism landscape.
New York remains the country’s largest overseas visitor spending market, followed by California and Florida. Texas and Massachusetts form the next tier, while Hawaii, Illinois and Nevada demonstrate how specialised tourism economies can generate exceptionally high levels of international expenditure.
The concentration of spending also reinforces the importance of major international gateways and globally recognised destinations.
However, the data should not be interpreted as meaning that other states have little tourism potential. International visitors travel throughout the United States, and destinations outside the leading markets can benefit by developing distinctive tourism products, improving connectivity and attracting travellers to less concentrated regions.
For the U.S. travel industry, the bigger opportunity lies in expanding the geographic distribution of international tourism while maintaining the strength of established gateway destinations.
The U.S. remains one of the world’s most important international tourism markets, and the latest state-level government data confirms the enormous economic contribution made by overseas visitors.
But the distribution of that spending is uneven.
New York, California and Florida alone generated approximately $84.1 billion in overseas visitor spending in 2024. Add Texas and Massachusetts, and the figure rises to approximately $99.7 billion.
The numbers make one conclusion difficult to ignore: international tourism is a major economic engine for the United States, but a relatively small group of states captures a very large share of its financial benefits.
For policymakers, destination marketing organisations and travel businesses, the challenge is now twofold — protecting demand in America’s leading tourism markets while encouraging international visitors to explore and spend in a broader range of destinations.
As global travellers become increasingly selective about where they spend their money, the states that combine international connectivity, distinctive experiences, competitive value and strong visitor infrastructure will be best positioned to capture the next phase of international tourism growth.
Cause: International visitor spending is driven by destination appeal, major gateways, diverse attractions, business travel, leisure demand and longer or higher-value trips. Answer: New York, California and Florida lead because they combine global cities, extensive air connectivity, world-famous attractions, accommodation capacity and broad tourism products. Reason: Overseas visitors spend across hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, recreation and transport, creating substantial economic value and supporting jobs. Government data also shows that visitor volume alone cannot explain spending differences. Therefore, states attracting fewer travellers can still generate significant revenue when visitors stay longer, spend more per trip, or purchase higher-value tourism services.
New York, California and Florida continue to command extraordinary international travel spending across the United States. Moreover, overseas visitors generate billions for hotels, restaurants, attractions, retailers and transport providers. However, the concentration of spending across leading states also exposes regional tourism economies to shifts in global demand, air connectivity, prices and traveller confidence. Meanwhile, Texas, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Illinois and Nevada demonstrate that distinctive destinations can attract substantial international expenditure. Ultimately, government data confirms that overseas tourism remains a vital economic force. Therefore, America’s next opportunity is to broaden visitor spending while strengthening the destinations already leading the national tourism market.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), “Overseas Visitor Impact on State Economies, 2024”. The NTTO state estimates cover overseas visitors and exclude residents of Canada and Mexico.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
