Report: International tourism to U.S. again stronger than expected

NEW YORK – International travel to the U.S. grew by more than 5 percent in May compared with data for May 2016, according to the Travel Trends Index report released Wednesday by the U.S. Travel Association.

The strong showing contradicted fears that tourism from abroad would slow in reaction to U.S. policies and rhetoric, including President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

The U.S. Travel Association also revised upward its data from April 2017 to a 6.6 percent increase over April 2016. Originally the association had said international travel to the U.S. grew 4 percent in April.

“There is widespread talk of daunting challenges to the U.S. travel market – perception of the country abroad is mentioned most, but the strong dollar and slowing global economy are factors as well – yet the resilience of our sector continues to astound,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow in a statement.

The organization’s Travel Trends Index also showed “solid domestic travel demand” in business and leisure sectors.

Despite the strong spring numbers, an overall slowdown is projected for the year, with anticipated growth in travel through November at just 1.8 percent higher than last year. The projection is based on data for future bookings.

The Travel Trends Index is compiled with Oxford Economics, using sources including hotel and airline data.

The U.S. Travel Association is a national nonprofit organization representing the travel industry.