May 2025 International Inbound Visitor Spending
U.S. Travel and Tourism Exports and Imports in May 2025
Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in May 2025:
- International visitors spent more than $21.2 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month of May, an increase of 1 percent compared to May 2024.
- Americans spent nearly $21.7 billion traveling abroad during May, yielding a $433 million balance of trade deficit (exports minus imports) for travel and tourism-related goods and services.
- International visitors have spent a record-setting $160.0 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date (comparing January through May for every year available), an increase of nearly 3 percent when compared to the same period last year; international visitors have injected, on average, nearly $702 million a day into the U.S. economy this year.
- U.S. travel and tourism exports accounted for 21 percent of U.S. services exports during May 2025 and 8 percent of all U.S. exports, goods and services alike.
Composition of Monthly Spending (Travel Exports)
Travel Spending
- Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $11.6 billion during May 2025 (compared to $11.9 billion in May 2024), a decrease of 3 percent when compared to the previous year.
- These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel.
- Travel receipts accounted for 54 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in May 2025.
- Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $11.6 billion during May 2025 (compared to $11.9 billion in May 2024), a decrease of 3 percent when compared to the previous year.
Passenger Fare Receipts
- Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $3.2 billion in May 2025 (compared to nearly $3.2 billion in the previous year), a nominal increase (nearly 1%) when compared to May 2024. These receipts represent expenditures by foreign residents on international flights provided by U.S. air carriers.
Passenger fare receipts accounted for 15 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports during May.
- Fares received by U.S. carriers from international visitors totaled $3.2 billion in May 2025 (compared to nearly $3.2 billion in the previous year), a nominal increase (nearly 1%) when compared to May 2024. These receipts represent expenditures by foreign residents on international flights provided by U.S. air carriers.
Medical/Education/Short-Term Worker Spending
- Expenditures for educational and health-related tourism, along with all expenditures by border, seasonal, and other short-term workers in the United States totaled $6.5 billion in May 2025 (compared to $6.0 billion in May 2024), an increase of 8 percent when compared to the previous year.
Medical tourism, education, and short-term worker expenditures accounted for 30 percent of total U.S. travel and tourism exports in May 2025.
- Expenditures for educational and health-related tourism, along with all expenditures by border, seasonal, and other short-term workers in the United States totaled $6.5 billion in May 2025 (compared to $6.0 billion in May 2024), an increase of 8 percent when compared to the previous year.
Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our Monthly Travel Trade Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.
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