US Travel Association confirms that the country has only reached 84% of 2019 levels

17-01-24

Plagued by ongoing staffing shortages, visa delays and even political divisions, the U.S. travel industry has lagged behind its competitors in regaining its share of international visitors since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Now, a groundbreaking study by Euromonitor International, the results of which were first made public on January 11, sheds more light on how far the U.S. lags behind its global competitors. 

Commissioned by US Travel, the independent market research firm's study analyzed travel industry performance in 18 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Spain and South Africa. 

Data from four categories were examined: government leadership and its commitment to the travel industry (25% weighting); global perception (20%); identity and security, which includes visa wait times and expedited clearance programs for low-risk travelers (35%); and travel connectivity, which includes international arrivals and flight access (20%).

The result

In all categories and among 18 countries, the U.S. ranked 17th, with the U.K. taking the top spot. The best performing countries were the UK and France.

China's travel industry ranked last, in 18th place. This is not so surprising considering that China's tourism revival has been long overdue; air routes to China remain scarce. Above the United States in the overall performance of the tourism sector were countries such as Saudi Arabia, in 13th place, whose tourism economy is still in its infancy, and Turkey, which ranked third despite political tensions and natural disasters last year. 

The study confirms that the U.S. tourism sector is less modern and efficient than its competitors - both established and emerging - according to US Travel, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of the country's tourism sector.

"This should be a wake-up call. To see the U.S. ranked 17th on a list of 18 top travel markets is eye-opening, staggering and disheartening," said Geoff Freeman, executive director of US Travel, during a press conference detailing the study's findings. "It's the kind of thing that should force people on Capitol Hill to ask themselves some very important questions."  

Freeman stressed that the U.S. share of the global tourism market has declined since 2019, while its competitors manage to increase theirs. 

Euromonitor International's grim findings, initially completed in the fall of 2023, were not released until now. They were revealed by US Travel as the motivation for creating a new Commission for Safe and Hassle-Free Travel, which it also announced on Jan. 11.

The commission, whose first official meeting will take place on February 1, is chaired by Kevin McAleenan, former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. It has 12 experts from the private sector and the Administration (to be joined by others), including former leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as former U.S. ambassadors. 

The group will be charged with hearing from travel industry stakeholders representing US Travel's various member segments, such as leading hotel executives, small business owners, and airline and airport operators. It will then create solutions for policymakers to modernize U.S. travel across the board and address issues affecting the industry. 

So far, the Euromonitor study has helped identify several priority areas, according to US Travel, including customs, TSA passenger screening and visa processing. Freeman tells Bloomberg in an interview that he will present a series of recommendations in the fall.  

At stake is the stability of the U.S. travel economy, which in 2022 racked up $1.2 trillion in domestic and international visitor spending. According to another report by market research firm Tourism Economics released in December 2023, if the TSA's antiquated screening process is not improved, U.S. travelers could forgo 3 million domestic trips per year, resulting in a loss of $7.4 billion in spending this year. Another $150 billion could be lost over the next 10 years due to excessive visa wait times.