Visit USA Australia hosted its Mid-Year Market Review yesterday at the W Sydney, bringing together industry leaders and partners for a comprehensive overview of recent U.S. travel data.
With insights from special guest David Huether, deputy director of research at the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), the event highlighted the latest tools and data resources offered by the NTTO, and the U.S. Commercial Service presented the latest travel data. This was the first time the NTTO has presented to any organisation outside the U.S.; a coup for Visit USA Australia.
David Huether
Australia ranks as the 10th largest inbound market to the U.S. In 2023, 954,000 Australians travelled to the U.S, a 48.7 per cent increase from 2022. A further 23.7 per cent increase is forecast for 2024.
Australians represent the 4th largest growth rate among the top 10 inbound markets, with over 90 per cent travelling for leisure. Business and conference travel account for 6 per cent, and 80 per cent are repeat travellers. On average, Australians spend 17 nights in the U.S. Additionally, 30 per cent of Australian visitors rent a car during their stay.
The review also included an analysis of travel activities and main ports of entry for U.S. travellers. In 2023, Los Angeles remained the leading port of entry, accounting for 37 per cent of all entries into the U.S., Honolulu followed with 16 per cent, while San Francisco accounted for 12 per cent. New York and Dallas each saw a 6 per cent share of entries, and Houston joined the list with 2 per cent.
Key travel activities for 2023 included sightseeing (90 per cent), shopping (88.8 per cent), and visits to national parks and monuments (52.3 per cent).
Caroline Davidson emphasised the importance of the Australian market in the context of global tourism trends, “Australia’s position as a vital market for the U.S. travel industry continues to strengthen, driven by a combination of leisure travel, repeat visitors, and the increasing ease of travel between our two countries,” Davidson said. “Our focus remains on fostering this growth and ensuring that the U.S. remains a top destination for Australian travellers.”
Visit USA continues to bring together more than 130 U.S. travel businesses to collaborate and partner on growing U.S. tourism from Australia.
The Mid-Year Market Review was supported by the New York State Division of Tourism, and Visit USA extends its gratitude to its event sponsor, partners and attendees for their continued support in advancing U.S. tourism initiatives in Australia.
Lead Image: L-R Monique Roos, senior commercial specialist U.S. commercial service, David Clark, vice president Visit USA, David Heuther, deputy director of research NTTO, Caroline Davidson, president Visit USA and Michael Cassis, cccount director for New York State Division of Tourism