US Set for Foreign Tourist Invasion Says Skyscanner

Released on: March 11, 2010, 3:26 am
Author: Skyscanner Ltd
Industry: Travel

Travel site Skyscanner reveals which countries like to flash their cash the most when they travel and where in the US they plan on going in 2010 – Germans are in the lead, but China is quickly climbing up the ranks.

According to the WTO, German travelers are the biggest spenders; capitalizing on the strong Euro and US-inbound travel deals--like seasonal cheap flights to New York-- and are closely followed by the British, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Italians. And according to Skyscanner's data, New York is bound to get a big chunk of this pie, at least amongst US destinations, which collectively show some very positive growth figures for 2010.

With the economy on the path to recovery, tourism worldwide is rebounding from the slump of 2009. And with the Tourism Promotion Bill approved by the US Congress, which President Barack Obama signed into a Law last week, the panorama for the US Tourism Industry looks extremely bright.

Skyscanner's statistics already show a 130% increase in searches for cheap flights to the US, as compared to last year. Travelers from the UK lead the pack, followed by Germany and Italy. China has shown a great increase this year, surpassing Russia.

As to the destinations-favored by international travelers, the Top 10 list includes the usual suspects: New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and Atlanta. However, cities that are not usually regarded as destinations for foreign tourists have also shown growth - places like Phoenix and Portland are attracting more international travelers this year, a trend that is expected to increase in the coming months.

While Skyscanner's data shows New York to be the favorite destination for foreign tourists, it is particularly preferred by the British - fully 25% of queries from the UK focused on the Big Apple. However, it only accounted for 5% amongst the Chinese. And while cheap flights to Honolulu didn’t make the Top10 list, Honolulu is, nonetheless, the second-most popular city for Japanese tourists. Hawaii also attracts many Russian visitors, who interestingly also do many searches for destinations in Alaska.

Indeed, 2010 appears to be a bright year for international tourism, and for the US tourist industry as a whole.

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