Retailer bottom line: Concern has been expressed about falling tourist visits to the United States, but spending by visitors remains robust.
The number of visitors to the United States has been declining — Canadian car visits were down 35% in September and air visits were down 27% — but despite concerns over the economic impact of this phenomenon, total spending by visitors was actually up through the first half of 2025.
Foreign visitor spending in the United States is a significant component of international trade. Last year, international visitors spent $252 billion in the U.S., which accounted for 7.8% of total U.S. exports of goods and services.
In the National Travel and Tourism Office recent annual market profile, overseas visitors increased shopping in 2024 by 13% from 2023. The top overseas source markets that shopped in the United States were the United Kingdom, Brazil, German, Japan and France.
CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, is a monthly measure of retail sales offering an in-depth look at consumer spending across the modern retail industry and consumer economy.
Survey data indicated that, on average, overseas visitors spent nearly $3,600 on their U.S. trip — $1,800 on lodging, domestic transportation and a variety of leisure activities including retail shopping ($325), dining, and visiting theme parks and attractions while in the United States, with other spending largely being on international airfares.
Even though NTTO data shows that international visitation declined 6.2% in June and was down 3.0% from last year, the most current monthly available data shows that international visitors spent approximately $147.33 billion from January through July 2025, an increase of 1.7% compared 2024.
There are many challenges the economy is facing in the current climate, but it appears that visitor spending is not yet a significant area of concern.
