UK Joins Brazil and More as Overseas Travellers Turn to Solo Holidays Across America in Growing Numbers

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UK joins Brazil and more as overseas travellers turn to solo holidays across America in growing numbers. UK joins Brazil and more because overseas travellers turn to solo holidays across America in growing numbers, with 58.6% travelling alone. Official US data recorded 34.3 million overseas visitor arrivals in 2025. Britain led source markets with 4.1 million arrivals, while Brazil contributed 1.9 million. Meanwhile, Florida, New York and California attracted millions of overseas visits. Travellers stayed 16.9 nights on average and spent $1,829. Therefore, independent travel now stands out as a major feature of America’s international tourism story.

US Overseas Tourism at a Glance

The figures come from NTTO’s inbound Survey of International Air Travelers. The 46.4 million figure includes inbound air travellers from Canada, Mexico and overseas, while the detailed characteristics above refer to the 34.3 million overseas visitor arrivals.

Solo Travellers Become the Biggest Travel-Party Group

Solo travel provides the clearest behavioural story.

Nearly six in ten overseas visitors reported travelling alone.

However, the statistic is national. It does not mean 58.6% of visitors to Florida, New York or another individual state were solo travellers. NTTO’s published headline data do not establish that destination-level breakdown.

Florida Moves Ahead of New York

Florida was the most visited US state among overseas visitors in 2025.

Florida held a narrow lead over New York, while California remained another major international destination. Nevada and Texas completed the five leading states identified in the NTTO results.

These figures count overseas visitation overall and should not be presented as solo-traveller totals.

UK Leads While India Takes Second Place

The international source-market ranking reveals another important shift.

The United Kingdom remained the largest overseas source market.

India ranked second, slightly ahead of Japan. Brazil followed with 1.9 million arrivals, while Germany contributed 1.8 million.

India and Japan therefore both occupied top-five positions, underlining the importance of Asian source markets to US inbound tourism.

Overseas Travellers Plan American Holidays Months Ahead

International visitors do not generally make their US travel decisions at the last minute.

The average overseas visitor decided to visit the United States 104 days before travelling and made an airline reservation 79 days before departure.

That means the decision typically came several months before arrival.

The approximately 25-day difference between the two averages can be calculated from NTTO’s figures, but it should be described as a calculation rather than an independently published NTTO statistic.

Visitors Stay Nearly 17 Nights and Spend $1,829

The average overseas visitor stayed 16.9 nights in the United States.

Average spending while in the country reached $1,829, while average combined annual household income was $90,880.

These numbers provide important context for the economic value of international tourism. Overseas visitors are not simply passing through for short stays. Their average trip extends for more than two weeks.

Shopping Beats Sightseeing

What overseas visitors actually do after arriving produces another surprising result.

Shopping was the most frequently reported leisure activity, ahead of sightseeing.

More than one-third visited national parks or monuments, while museums, galleries, small towns and countryside experiences also formed important parts of international trips.

These activity percentages apply to overseas visitors overall, not specifically solo travellers.

Holidays Dominate the Reason for Visiting

Leisure remains the central driver of overseas US tourism.

Vacation or holiday accounted for 57.1% of main trip purposes. Visiting friends and relatives represented 22.2%, while business accounted for 16.4%.

The figures show why leisure destinations, attractions, retail, cultural institutions and outdoor experiences remain central to the international visitor economy.

Most Visitors Concentrate Their Holiday in One State

Long stays do not necessarily translate into cross-country journeys.

Visitors travelled to an average 1.4 states.

Despite an average stay approaching 17 nights, more than three-quarters visited only one state. This suggests that many international trips are geographically concentrated rather than being extensive multi-state tours.

Hotels Remain the Main Accommodation Choice

Traditional accommodation remains important.

Hotels and motels were used by 71.4% of overseas visitors, making them the leading accommodation category reported by NTTO.

Private or company automobiles, meanwhile, were used by 34.6%, the leading transportation type identified in the published results.

Together, these figures highlight the continuing importance of hotels and road mobility within the international visitor experience.

Visitor Satisfaction Remains High

International visitors also reported very high overall satisfaction.

97.2% said their US trip met or exceeded expectations, while 96% said they expected to visit the United States again.

By comparison, 73.7% rated their overall US entry experience as good or excellent.

The figures should not be interpreted as explaining why the ratings differ. However, they show that overall trip satisfaction was considerably higher than the share giving the entry experience one of the two highest ratings.

Solo Travel Reveals a Different US Tourism Story

The 2025 NTTO data show an international visitor economy shaped by much more than total arrivals.

Solo travellers represent the largest travel-party category. Florida narrowly leads New York among states visited. Britain remains the largest overseas source market, while India has moved into second place. Visitors plan months ahead, stay nearly 17 nights and concentrate heavily within individual states.

UK joins Brazil and other major overseas markets in a US tourism landscape where travelling alone has become the largest travel-party category. NTTO data show that 58.6% of overseas visitors travelled solo in 2025, compared with 21.4% travelling with a spouse or partner and 18.3% with family or relatives. The wider picture also shows long, focused holidays. Visitors stayed 16.9 nights on average, while 75.4% visited only one state. Florida led state visitation, followed by New York and California. Together, these figures show that independent, leisure-focused and geographically concentrated trips are a major feature of overseas travel across America.