Record number of Indian travellers visited USA in 2014

U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan M. Selig announced that a record 75 million international visitors traveled to the United States in 2014, a seven percent increase from 2013. Tourism is America’s largest services export and these exports support 1.1 million U.S. jobs.

“Today’s data shows that the United States continues to be the premier destination for international visitors,” Selig said. “It also highlights that we remain on track toward achieving President Obama’s goal of attracting 100 million international visitors to the United States by 2021.”

The U.S. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security recently sent a report to President Obama on expanding the U.S. travel and tourism industry with a strategy to increase the number of international visitors to the U.S.

It provides a way forward to deliver a best-in-class arrivals experience, ensuring that largest inbound tourism market for the U.S. Indian travelers form an important segment in theinternational visitors continue to select the United States as their destination of choice.

Highlights: 2014 International Visitation to the United States

• The top inbound markets continued to be Canada and Mexico. Mexico grew 19 percent, surpassing the record arrivals seen in 2007, reaching 17.3 million visits in 2014.

• Annual overseas resident visitation (excluding Canada and Mexico) set a new record in 2014, reaching 34.4 million visitors, up eight percent from 2013. Travel from overseas markets accounted for 46 percent of total international arrivals to the United States in 2014. All top inbound overseas regional markets surpassed 2013 levels, all registering record level visits in 2014.

• Sixteen of the top 20 countries registered increases in non-resident visits in 2014. Eight of the top 20 countries registered double-digit increases, with 12 of the top 20 inbound countries registering record level visits in 2014.

Top Ports: YTD December 2014

• In 2014, visitation through the top 15 ports of entry accounted for 83 percent of all overseas visits.

The top three ports (New York/JFK, Miami, and Los Angeles) accounted for 41 percent of all overseas arrivals, nearly one percentage point above last year.

Thirteen of the top 15 ports posted increases in arrivals in 2014, with four posting double-digit increases.

This coming year, Brand USA's marketing will be present in more than 30 international markets, and will be fully deployed in 12 markets—expanding full marketing efforts by 40%. Partner program offerings increased from 30 in fiscal year 2013 to more than 100 programs with 200 opportunities in fiscal year 2014 - which helped drive a 94 percent partner program retention rate as measured by the number of partners participating in Brand USA co-op programs during both fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Brand USA’s partnership network has increased 40 percent, from 339 partners in fiscal year 2013 to 475 through fiscal year 2014.

About Brand USA Brand USA is the public-private partnership responsible for promoting the United States as a premier travel destination and communicating U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures.

Established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010, the organization’s mission is to increase international visitation to the United States while working in partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel. These benefits include creating jobs essential to the economy and fostering understanding between people and cultures.

For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit www.TheBrandUSA.com. For information about travel to and around the United States, please visit Brand USA’s consumer website at www.DiscoverAmerica.com.