Overview
Table: Tourism arrivals to the U.S.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Total Arrivals | 642,000 | 954,000 | 1,025,000 | 960,000 |
| % Change | 123.8% | 48.7% | 7.4% | -6.5% |
Data Sources: National Travel & Tourism Office, International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce
In 2025, Australia remained the eleventh largest inbound market for overseas visitors to the United States: 960,000 Australians traveled to the U.S., a 6.5% decline on the previous year and marked the first drop following three consecutive years of growth between 2022 to 2024. But according to a recent analysis by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), Australia ranks eighth in the world in terms of visitor spending in the U.S. Average travel export per Australian arrival is $6,819, and travel exports from Australia reached $7 billion in 2024, which represents 11.4 percent of total U.S. travel exports.
Leisure travel accounts for 90% of visits and 80% of travelers are repeat visitors. Australian travelers are typically resilient, independent, active, and experience driven. They stay an average of 18 days, travel year-round, and are considered high-value visitors. Peak travel months are from April to September and December to January.
American, Delta, Hawaiian, Qantas and United operate direct services between Australia (Sydney, Melbourne. Brisbane, and Adelaide) and key U.S. gateways (Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston). Capacity continues to expand with United, American, and Delta each launching new Brisbane routes. United has also introduced its first direct Adelaide - San Francisco service while Qantas will commence seasonal Sydney - Las Vegas flights from December 2026 – March 2027, adding a sixth U.S. destination to its network.
In 2025, the primary ports of entry for Australian visitors were Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Dallas, New York, and Miami. Travelers explore widely with popular states including California, New York, Hawaii, Nevada, Texas, and Florida. Key cities include Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Anaheim, and Orlando.
Activities span from shopping, sightseeing, dining, visiting national parks and historical sites to visiting art galleries and museums and attending sporting events. Notably one third of Australians rent a car.
Travel decisions are strongly influenced by tour operators, travel agents, online booking platforms, and a mix of print, digital, and social media.
Leading Sub-sectors
Travel agents and tour operators are an important source of information and a key channel for making bookings. 35% of Australians plan their trip to the United States trip through retail travel agents or online travel agents (OTAs). Consumer media, including digital and social media, are influential in stimulating interest and major local newspapers and special interest magazines regularly publish travel articles on the United States.
Opportunities
The Visit USA Organization’s annual Visit USA Expos are one of the largest events in the local travel industry’s calendar and the key event for promoting tourism to the United States to the travel trade. Over 1,000 travel agents in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane attend to meet with U.S. destinations and suppliers. Brand USA organizes a B2B session with tour operators in conjunction with the expos. A list of upcoming tourism events promoting the United States is available on the Visit USA Australia website. The US Commercial Service works closely with both the Visit USA Committee and Brand USA. Travel expos targeting the consumer, including the annual Snow Travel Expos, provide additional opportunities to showcase niche tourism products. Additionally, IPW attracts a large delegation of Australian travel media and tour operators annually and provides an excellent promotional opportunity.