2002 Profile of Overseas Travelers To The U.S. - Inbound

Residence of Travelers To The U.S.: (1)	Arrivals (2)	Percent of Total Overseas Arrivals
Total Overseas	19,116,707	100.0%
Western Europe	8,247,779	43.1%
United Kingdom	3,816,736	20.0%
Germany	1,189,856	6.2%
France	734,260	3.8%
Italy	406,160	2.1%
Netherlands	384,367	2.0%
Spain	269,520	1.4%
Ireland	259,687	1.4%
Switzerland	253,940	1.3%
Sweden	204,156	1.1%
Belgium	159,052	0.8%
Eastern Europe	354,905	1.9%
Caribbean	1,052,576	5.5%
Bahamas	262,469	1.4%
Jamaica	183,903	1.0%
Dominican Republic	153,586	0.8%
South America	1,815,230	9.5%
Brazil	405,094	2.1%
Venezuela	395,913	2.1%
Colombia	321,439	1.7%
Argentina	164,658	0.9%
Peru	164,482	0.9%
Central America	704,050	3.7%
El Salvador	197,159	1.0%
Guatemala	162,367	0.8%
Asia (Far East)	5,689,319	29.8%
Japan	3,627,264	19.0%
South Korea	638,697	3.3%
Peoples Rep. of China/Hong Kong	360,974	1.9%
Taiwan	288,032	1.5%
India	257,271	1.3%
Philippines	173,203	0.9%
Oceania	529,091	2.8%
Australia	407,130	2.1%
Middle East	482,534	2.5%
Israel	263,097	1.4%
Africa	241,223	1.3%

1. All number are rounded to the nearest thousand. Contry estimates are only listed if they generated at least 150,000 overseas visitor.
2. All arrival data reported in Table 1 of the IFS are total arrivals as reported from the I-94.

OVERSEAS TRAVELERS CHARACTERISTICS:	ALL OVERSEAS VISITORS	ALL LEISURE VISITORS	ALL BUSINESS VISITORS
Total Number of Travelers =	19,117,000	11,336,000	5,372,000
Advance Trip Decision:
Advance Airline Reservation:
Average Number of Days	44.2	57.4	19.7
Median Number of Days	25.0	30.0	10.0
Means of Booking Air Trip:
Travel Agent	62%	62%	59%
Airlines Directly	14%	15%	10%
Company Travel Dept.	9%	4%	24%
Personal Computer/Internet	7%	7%	3%
Tour Operator	6%	8%	1%
Information Sources*:
Travel Agent	54%	55%	55%
Personal Computer	23%	27%	16%
Airlines	18%	17%	18%
Friends, Relatives	15%	18%	6%
Travel Guides/Timetables	9%	14%	2%
Corporate Travel Dept.	9%	4%	24%
Tour Operator/Company	8%	11%	3%
Newspapers/Magazines	4%	6%	2%
State/City Travel Office	4%	5%	4%
Use of Pre-Paid Package:
Yes	17%	27%	4%
No (Independent)	83%	73%	97%
If Package Used, Type of Package*:
Air/Lodging	13%	21%	2%
Guided Tour	4%	7%	1%
Air/Rental Car	4%	6%	1%
Air/Lodging/Bus	3%	5%	0%
Air/Lodging/Tour	3%	5%	0%
Air/Lodging/Rental Car	3%	4%	1%
Air/Lodging/Bus/Tour	1%	2%	0%
Use of Prepaid Lodging as Part of Package:
Yes	82%	83%	72%
No	18%	17%	28%
Mean # of Nights	7.2	7.2	7.7
Median # of Nights	5.0	5.0	6.0
Advance Package Booking:
Mean # of Days	76.7	79.1	34.0
Median # of Days	40.0	45.0	16.0
If Pre-Booked Lodging, Pre-Booked Through*:
Travel Agent	27%	33%	22%
Hotel/Motel Directly	8%	10%	9%
Company Travel Dept.	8%	4%	23%
Tour Operator	5%	8%	1%
Friend/Relative	5%	6%	3%
Business Associate	4%	1%	13%
Travel Companions*:
Traveling Alone	40%	25%	63%
Family/Relatives	26%	36%	7%
Spouse	25%	35%	8%
Friends	11%	15%	3%
Business Associates	8%	4%	22%
Tour Group	2%	2%	1%
Travel Party Size: (persons)
Adults Only	92%	87%	98%
Adults and Children	8%	13%	2%
Average Party Size	1.5	1.8	1.2
Median Party Size	1.0	1.0	1.0
Main Purpose of Trip:
Leisure/Recreation/Holiday	43%	73%	4%
Business/Professional	24%	6%	86%
Visit Friends/Relatives	23%	16%	4%
Convention/Conference	6%	3%	4%
Study/Teaching	3%	1%	1%
Purpose of Trip*:
Leisure/Recreation/Holiday	59%	100%	21%
Visit Friends/Relatives	37%	33%	21%
Business	28%	10%	100%
Convention/Conference	9%	4%	13%
Study/Teaching	5%	3%	3%
Type of Accommodations*:
Hotel, Motel	78%	82%	88%
Average Number of Nights	7.7	7.7	7.2
Median Number of Nights	5.0	5.0	5.0
Private Home	0.357	0.321	0.246
Average Number of Nights	18.4	16.9	15.1
Median Number of Nights	10.0	10.0	7.0
Other	0.034	0.038	0.028
Mean Number of Nights	18.5	15.5	21.8
Median Number of Nights	7.0	7.0	6.0
Nights Spent in the U.S.
Average	16.2	14.6	12.9
Median	8.0	8.0	6.0
First International U.S. Trip:
First Time Visitors	18%	23%	9%
Repeat Visitors	82%	77%	91%
U.S. Trips in Last 12 Months:
Mean # of Trips	2.1	1.7	3.3
Median # of trips	1.0	1.0	2.0
U.S. Trips in Last 5 Years:
Mean # of Trips	7.2	5.3	12.1
Median # of trips	4.0	3.0	8.0
Number of States Visited*:
One State	69%	70%	62%
Two States	19%	17%	23%
Three or More States	12%	13%	15%
Average (Number of States)	1.5	1.5	1.6
Median (Number of States)	1.0	1.0	1.0
Number of Destinations Visited:
Average (Number of Destinations)	2.0	2.1	1.9
Median (Number of Destinations)	1.0	1.0	1.0
Transportation in the U.S.*:
Taxi	40%	39%	48%
Rented Auto	31%	34%	35%
Company or Private Auto	28%	25%	28%
Airline in the U.S.	26%	23%	35%
City Subway/Bus	20%	24%	14%
Bus between Cities	11%	14%	5%
Railroad between Cities	9%	9%	9%
Port-of-Entry:
New York	13%	12%	14%
Miami	13%	13%	13%
Los Angeles	10%	9%	12%
Honolulu	9%	14%	1%
San Francisco	6%	5%	8%
Chicago	5%	4%	9%
Agana, Guam	5%	8%	0%
Newark	5%	5%	5%
Atlanta	3%	3%	4%
Washington Dulles	3%	2%	5%
Orlando & Orlando/Sanford	2%	4%	1%
Boston	2%	2%	2%
Houston	2%	1%	3%
Detroit	11%	1%	3%
U.S. Destinations Visited*:
New England	7%	6%	8%
Massachusetts	5%	4%	6%
Boston	4%	4%	5%
Middle Atlantic	27%	25%	32%
New York	24%	23%	25%
New York City	22%	22%	24%
New Jersey	4%	3%	6%
Pennsylvania	4%	3%	5%
Philadelphia	2%	2%	4%
East North Central	9%	6%	15%
Illinois	6%	4%	8%
Chicago	5%	4%	8%
Michigan	2%	1%	4%
Ohio	2%	1%	3%
West North Central	2%	1%	4%
South Atlantic	33%	33%	33%
Florida	23%	27%	19%
Miami	12%	12%	12%
Orlando	10%	14%	4%
Tampa/St. Petersburg	2%	3%	1%
Ft. Lauderdale	2%	2%	1%
Washington D.C. (Metro Area)	5%	5%	7%
Georgia	3%	2%	5%
Atlanta	3%	2%	5%
North Carolina	2%	1%	3%
Virginia	2%	1%	1%
East South Central	2%	2%	3%
West South Central	6%	3%	10%
Texas	4%	2%	8%
Houston	2%	1%	4%
Dallas/Ft. Worth	2%	1%	3%
Mountain	11%	13%	9%
Nevada	7%	9%	4%
Las Vegas	6%	9%	4%
Arizona	3%	4%	2%
Colorado	2%	2%	2%
Utah	2%	2%	1%
Pacific	23%	21%	30%
California	21%	20%	27%
Los Angeles	12%	12%	14%
San Francisco	9%	9%	10%
San Diego	2%	3%	2%
San Jose	2%	1%	4%
Anaheim	2%	2%	2%
Washington	2%	2%	3%
Seattle	2%	2%	2%
Pacific Islands	16%	25%	2%
Hawaiian Islands	10%	16%	2%
Oahu/Honolulu	8%	13%	1%
Guam	6%	9%	0%
Atlantic Islands	0%	1%	0%
Leisure/Recreational Activities*:
Shopping	87%	91%	78%
Dining in Restaurants	82%	83%	85%
Sightseeing in Cities	40%	48%	27%
Visit Historical Places	31%	36%	21%
Amusement/Theme Parks	27%	35%	13%
Visit Small Towns/Villages	27%	32%	15%
Water Sports/Sunbathing	24%	33%	9%
Touring the Countryside	21%	25%	13%
Visit National Parks	18%	22%	10%
Art Gallery, Museum	18%	20%	14%
Cultural/Heritage Sights	18%	22%	11%
Guided Tours	14%	20%	5%
Nightclub/ Dancing	13%	14%	14%
Concert, Play, Musical	13%	14%	10%
Casinos/Gambling	9%	11%	6%
Golf/Tennis	8%	9%	7%
Cruises	6%	8%	2%
Attend Sports Events	6%	7%	5%
Ethnic Heritage Sights	5%	6%	2%
Camping, Hiking	4%	5%	2%
Environmental/Ecological Excursions	3%	4%	2%
Visit American Indian Communities	3%	4%	1%
Hunting/Fishing	2%	2%	1%
Snow Skiing	2%	2%	1%
Main factors involved in Airline Choice:
Airfare	28%	31%	19%
Convenient Schedule	17%	16%	21%
Mileage Bonus/Freq. Flyer program	13%	13%	15%
Safety Reputation	9%	11%	7%
Non-Stop Flight	9%	8%	10%
Previous Good Experience	7%	7%	7%
Loyalty to Carrier	5%	4%	5%
Employer Policy	4%	2%	9%
In-Flight Service Reputation	2%	2%	2%
Type of Airline Ticket:
Economy/Tourist/Coach	73%	77%	57%
Executive/Business	16%	10%	33%
Frequent Flyer Award	4%	4%	3%
Discount/Group Fare	3%	4%	2%
Frequent Flyer Upgrade	3%	2%	5%
First Class	3%	2%	5%
Non-Revenue Passenger	2%	2%	1%
Don't Know	3%	3%	2%
Seating Area:
Economy/Tourist/Coach	78%	85%	57%
Executive/Business	19%	13%	35%
First Class	4%	3%	7%
Average Total Trip Expenditures:
Per Travel Party	$4,329	$4,452	$4,872
Per Visitor	$2,825	$2,428	$3,947
Average International Airfare
Per Travel Party	$1,887	$1,663	$2,545
Per Visitor	$1,317	$985	$2,081
Average Package Price
Per Travel Party	$3,186	$3,214	$3,364
Per Visitor	$1,332	$1,301	$2,056
Average Expenditures in the U.S.:
Per Travel Party	$2,206	$2,417	$2,144
Per Visitor	$1,439	$1,318	$1,737
Per Visitor Per Day	$89	$90	$134
Avg. Exp. by Category (per visitor):	$1,439 (100%)	$1,318 (100%)	$1,737 (100%)
Lodging	$381 (26%)	$292 (22%)	$649 (37%)
Gifts & Souvenirs	$299 (21%)	$324 (25%)	$248 (14%)
Food, Beverages	$282 (20%)	$269 (20%)	$311 (18%)
Transportation	$198 (14%)	$173 (13%)	$285 (16%)
Entertainment	$140 (10%)	$163 (12%)	$104 (6%)
Other	$115 (8%)	$75 (6%)	$111 (6%)
U.S. Airport	$24 (2%)	$22 (2%)	$30 (2%)
Trip Expenses Payment Method:
Credit Cards	47%	42%	63%
Cash	42%	45%	31%
Travelers Checks	7%	10%	3%
Debit Cards	3%	4%	3%
Sex & Age of Traveler:
Male Adults	62%	57%	81%
Female Adults	38%	43%	19%
Average Age of Male (years)	42.7	42.2	42.6
Average Age of Female (years)	39.1	37.9	37.5
Occupation:
Professional/Technical	32%	32%	32%
Manager/Executive	32%	25%	56%
Clerical/Sales	9%	12%	3%
Student	7%	7%	2%
Homemaker/Housewife	6%	8%	1%
Retired	6%	7%	1%
Craftsman/Factory Worker	3%	3%	1%
Government/Military	3%	3%	2%
Annual Household Income:
Average	$79,700	$76,200	$96,600
Median	$64,400	$61,100	$84,900

* Multiple Response

Overseas includes all countries except Canada and Mexico

NOTE: All percentages listed in this profile can be converted into estimated numbers by multiplying the percentage by
19,177,000 (total overseas travelers to the U.S.), 11,336,000 (total leisure travelers), or 5,372,000 (total business travelers).

Business travelers are defined as the respondents who stated their purpose of trip was business/professional.
Multiple purposes of trip are allowed. Leisure travelers are defined as the respondents who stated their purpose of trip was leisure/recreation/holidays/sightseeing. Multiple purposes of trip are allowed.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries

Release Date: May 2003