RESIDENCE OF TRAVELERS TO THE U.S.: (1)	ARRIVALS (2)	Percent of TOTAL OVERSEAS ARRIVALS
TOTAL OVERSEAS	18,026,213	100.0%
Western Europe	8,294,083	46.0%
United Kingdom	3,936,112	21.8%
Germany	1,180,212	6.5%
France	688,887	3.8%
Italy	408,633	2.3%
Netherlands	373,690	2.1%
Spain	284,031	1.6%
Ireland	254,320	1.4%
Switzerland	230,042	1.3%
Sweden	211,386	1.2%
Belgium	151,069	0.8%
Eastern Europe	344,594	1.9%
Caribbean	998,266	5.5%
Bahamas	253,229	1.4%
Jamaica	159,484	0.9%
Dominican Republic	153,019	0.8%
South America	1,522,191	8.4%
Brazil	348,945	1.9%
Venezuela	284,423	1.6%
Colombia	280,259	1.6%
Peru	154,324	0.9%
Argentina	150,719	0.8%
Central America	655,841	3.6%
El Salvador	177,240	1.0%
Guatemala	151,891	0.8%
Asia (Far East)	5,003,261	27.8%
Japan	3,169,682	17.6%
South Korea	617,573	3.4%
India	272,161	1.5%
Peoples Rep. of China/Hong Kong	271,438	1.5%
Taiwan	238,999	1.3%
Oceania	524,599	2.9%
Australia	405,698	2.3%
Middle East	447,112	2.5%
Israel	249,034	1.4%
Africa	236,266	1.3%
1 All numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. Country estimates are only listed if they generated at least 150,000 overseas visitors. [back] 2 The arrivals data reported above are the total arrival figures reported in the 2003 Summary of International Travel to the US (I-94) report. [back]

 

OVERSEAS TRAVELERS CHARACTERISTICS:	ALL OVERSEAS VISITORS	ALL LEISURE VISITORS	ALL BUSINESS VISITORS
Total Number of Travelers	18,026,000	11,086,000	4,687,000
Advance Trip Decision:
Average Number of Days	71.0	85.3	37.3
Median Number of Days	35.0	60.0	20.0
Advance Airline Reservation:
Average Number of Days	46.5	58.9	21.2
Median Number of Days	30.0	30.0	13.0
Means of Booking Air Trip:
Travel Agent	57%	57%	56%
Airlines Directly	14%	15%	11%
Personal Computer/Internet	10%	11%	4%
Company Travel Dept.	9%	4%	25%
Tour Operator	7%	10%	2%
Information Sources*:
Travel Agent	50%	50%	51%
Personal Computer	27%	33%	19%
Airlines	19%	18%	18%
Friends, Relatives	16%	19%	6%
Tour Operator/Company	8%	12%	3%
Travel Guides/Timetables	8%	12%	3%
Corporate Travel Dept.	8%	3%	25%
State/City Travel Office	4%	4%	3%
Newspapers/Magazines	4%	6%	1%
Use of Pre-Paid Package:
Yes	18%	26%	4%
No (Independent)	82%	74%	96%
If Package Used, Type of Package*:
Air/Lodging	13%	20%	3%
Air/Rental Car	5%	7%	1%
Guided Tour	4%	6%	1%
Air/Lodging/Rental Car	3%	5%	1%
Air/Lodging/Bus	3%	4%	0%
Air/Lodging/Tour	3%	4%	1%
Air/Lodging/Bus/Tour	1%	2%	0%
Use of Prepaid Lodging as Part of Package:
Yes	82%	83%	80%
No	18%	17%	20%
Mean # of Nights	7.7	7.7	7.2
Median # of Nights	5.0	5.0	5.0
Advance Package Booking:
Mean # of Days	73.0	75.8	38.1
Median # of Days	40.0	42.0	15.0
If Pre-Booked Lodging, Pre-Booked Through*:
Travel Agent	25%	30%	20%
Hotel/Motel Directly	8%	9%	10%
Company Travel Dept.	8%	3%	23%
Tour Operator	6%	10%	1%
Friend/Relative	5%	6%	3%
Business Associate	4%	1%	13%
Travel Companions*:
Traveling Alone	39%	24%	62%
Spouse	28%	38%	10%
Family/Relatives	27%	36%	7%
Friends	12%	18%	4%
Business Associates	7%	3%	21%
Tour Group	1%	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	2.0	1.0
Main Purpose of Trip:
Leisure/Recreation/Holiday	45%	74%	5%
Visit Friends/Relatives	24%	16%	3%
Business/Professional	23%	6%	87%
Convention/Conference	5%	2%	4%
Study/Teaching	3%	2%	0%
Purpose of Trip*:
Leisure/Recreation/Holiday	62%	100%	22%
Visit Friends/Relatives	38%	32%	20%
Business	26%	9%	100%
Convention/Conference	8%	4%	12%
Study/Teaching	4%	3%	3%
Type of Accommodations*:
Hotel, Motel	77%	81%	89%
Average Number of Nights	7.5	7.6	7.7
Median Number of Nights	5.0	5.0	5.0
Private Home	37%	33%	24%
Average Number of Nights	18.8	17.2	18.7
Median Number of Nights	10.0	10.0	6.0
Other	3%	4%	3%
Mean Number of Nights	18.5	16.6	15.7
Median Number of Nights	6.0	6.0	5.0
Nights Spent in the U.S.
Average	16.2	14.8	14.5
Median	8.0	9.0	6.0
First International U.S. Trip:
First Time Visitors	22%	28%	10%
Repeat Visitors	78%	72%	90%
U.S. Trips in Last 12 Months:
Mean # of Trips	2.0	1.6	3.2
Median # of trips	1.0	1.0	2.0
U.S. Trips in Last 5 Years:
Mean # of Trips	6.8	5.0	12.1
Median # of trips	3.0	3.0	7.0
Number of States Visited*:
One State	70%	71%	62%
Two States	18%	16%	24%
Three or More States	12%	13%	14%
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)	1.9	2.1	1.9
Median (Number of Destinations)	1.0	1.0	1.0
Transportation in the U.S.*:
Taxi	39%	39%	49%
Rented Auto	31%	34%	33%
Company or Private Auto	30%	26%	28%
Airline in the U.S.	25%	23%	34%
City Subway/Bus	20%	25%	12%
Bus between Cities	11%	14%	5%
Railroad between Cities	9%	10%	8%
Port-of-Entry:
New York	13%	13%	15%
Miami	12%	12%	14%
Los Angeles	10%	10%	12%
Honolulu	8%	13%	1%
Chicago	6%	4%	10%
San Francisco	6%	5%	8%
Newark	5%	5%	6%
Agana, Guam	4%	7%	0%
Atlanta	3%	3%	3%
Washington Dulles	3%	2%	4%
Orlando & Orlando/Sanford	3%	4%	1%
Boston	2%	2%	2%
Detroit	2%	1%	3%
Houston	2%	1%	2%
U.S. Destinations Visited*:
New England	6%	5%	8%
Massachusetts	5%	4%	6%
Boston	4%	4%	5%
Middle Atlantic	27%	25%	33%
New York	23%	23%	26%
New York City	22%	22%	25%
New Jersey	4%	3%	5%
Pennsylvania	3%	2%	6%
Philadelphia	2%	2%	4%
East North Central	8%	5%	16%
Illinois	5%	3%	8%
Chicago	4%	3%	8%
Michigan	2%	1%	4%
Ohio	2%	1%	4%
West North Central	2%	1%	3%
South Atlantic	32%	33%	32%
Florida	23%	27%	19%
Miami	12%	12%	12%
Orlando	10%	14%	3%
Ft. Lauderdale	2%	2%	2%
Tampa/St. Petersburg	2%	2%	1%
Washington D.C. (Metro Area)	5%	4%	6%
Georgia	3%	2%	4%
Atlanta	2%	1%	4%
East South Central	2%	1%	2%
West South Central	6%	4%	9%
Texas	5%	3%	7%
Houston	2%	1%	3%
Dallas/Ft. Worth	2%	1%	2%
Mountain	11%	13%	10%
Nevada	8%	10%	4%
Las Vegas	7%	10%	4%
Arizona	3%	3%	2%
Colorado	2%	1%	2%
Pacific	24%	22%	29%
California	22%	21%	27%
Los Angeles	12%	12%	13%
San Francisco	9%	10%	10%
San Diego	2%	2%	3%
San Jose	2%	1%	4%
Anaheim	2%	2%	2%
Washington	2%	2%	3%
Seattle	2%	2%	3%
Pacific Islands	16%	23%	3%
Hawaiian Islands	11%	16%	2%
Oahu/Honolulu	9%	13%	2%
Guam	5%	7%	1%
Atlantic Islands	1%	1%	1%
The market share figures reported for the Census Regions, states or cities is from table 24 from the 2003 annual In-Flight Survey report on Overseas Travelers to the U.S. Only destinations or regions with a 1.5% market share or greater are reported in this profile.
Leisure/Recreational Activities*:
Shopping	87%	91%	77%
Dining in Restaurants	84%	85%	86%
Sightseeing in Cities	40%	48%	26%
Visit Historical Places	31%	37%	21%
Amusement/Theme Parks	28%	36%	12%
Visit Small Towns/Villages	27%	32%	15%
Water Sports/Sunbathing	26%	35%	10%
Touring the Countryside	22%	26%	13%
Cultural/Heritage Sights	18%	22%	11%
Visit National Parks	18%	22%	9%
Art Gallery, Museum	18%	19%	13%
Guided Tours	16%	21%	7%
Concert, Play, Musical	14%	16%	10%
Nightclub/ Dancing	13%	14%	13%
Casinos/Gambling	10%	13%	6%
Golf/Tennis	8%	9%	7%
Cruises	7%	9%	4%
Attend Sports Events	6%	6%	6%
Ethnic Heritage Sights	5%	6%	2%
Camping, Hiking	4%	5%	2%
Environmental/Ecological Excursions	4%	4%	2%
Visit American Indian Communities	3%	4%	2%
Hunting/Fishing	2%	2%	2%
Snow Skiing	2%	2%	2%
Ranch Vacations	2%	2%	1%
Main factors involved in Airline Choice:
Airfare	33%	37%	20%
Convenient Schedule	16%	14%	21%
Mileage Bonus/Freq. Flyer program	12%	11%	15%
Non-Stop Flight	9%	8%	8%
Previous Good Experience	7%	7%	8%
Safety Reputation	7%	7%	6%
Loyalty to Carrier	4%	4%	5%
Employer Policy	4%	2%	9%
In-Flight Service Reputation	2%	2%	2%
Type of Airline Ticket:
Economy/Tourist/Coach	75%	80%	60%
Executive/Business	14%	8%	31%
Frequent Flyer Award	4%	4%	2%
Discount/Group Fare	3%	4%	2%
Frequent Flyer Upgrade	3%	2%	4%
First Class	2%	2%	3%
Non-Revenue Passenger	1%	2%	1%
Don't Know	3%	4%	2%
Seating Area:
Economy/Tourist/Coach	80%	86%	61%
Executive/Business	17%	11%	33%
First Class	4%	3%	6%
Average Total Trip Expenditures:
Per Travel Party	$4,407	$4,523	$5,048
Per Visitor	$2,844	$2,453	$4,061
Average International Airfare
Per Travel Party	$1,914	$1,710	$2,596
Per Visitor	$1,314	$994	$2,110
Average Package Price
Per Travel Party	$3,004	$3,012	n.a.
Per Visitor	$1,294	$1,260	n.a.
Average Expenditures in the U.S.:
Per Travel Party	$2,309	$2,481	$2,278
Per Visitor	$1,490	$1,346	$1,832
Per Visitor Per Day	$92	$91	$126
Avg. Exp. by Category (per visitor):
Lodging	$393 (26%)	$278 (21%)	$687 (38%)
Gifts & Souvenirs	$310 (21%)	$318 (24%)	$276 (15%)
Food, Beverages	$292 (20%)	$285 (21%)	$313 (17%)
Transportation	$211 (14%)	$178 (13%)	$309 (17%)
Entertainment	$148 (10%)	$176 (13%)	$109 ( 6%)
Other	$110 ( 7%)	$86 ( 6%)	$107 ( 6%)
U.S. Airport	$25 ( 2%)	$24 (2%)	$31 ( 2%)
Trip Expenses Payment Method:
Credit Cards	47%	42%	64%
Cash	43%	46%	31%
Travelers Checks	7%	9%	3%
Debit Cards	4%	3%	3%
Sex & Age of Traveler:
Male Adults	60%	54%	81%
Female Adults	40%	46%	19%
Average Age of Male (years)	42.9	42.4	42.5
Average Age of Female (years)	38.8	37.6	38.0
Occupation:
Professional/Technical	32%	32%	33%
Manager/Executive	30%	25%	55%
Clerical/Sales	9%	12%	3%
Student	8%	9%	2%
Retired	7%	7%	1%
Homemaker/Housewife	6%	7%	1%
Craftsman/Factory Worker	3%	3%	2%
Government/Military	3%	3%	2%
Annual Household Income:
Average	$83,300	$80,100	$102,900
Median	$69,600	$66,700	$93,300

All percentages listed in this profile can be converted into estimated numbers by multiplying the percentage by 18,026,000 (total overseas travelers to the U.S.), 11,086,000 (total leisure travelers), or 4,687,000 (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.

n.a. = not available

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

Released: April 2004