Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States

United States: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 8.05 million trips in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
8.05 million trips
Change on year
up 34.8%
World rank
29th
of 179 countries
All-time high
33.41 million trips
in 2019
All-time low
5.97 million trips
in 2020
Years of data
25
1997–2021

Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States, 1997–2021

10.0M20.0M30.0M1997200920211997: 16.9M trips1998: 16.5M trips1999: 17.3M trips2000: 17.8M trips2001: 15.4M trips2002: 13.3M trips2003: 12.6M trips2004: 14.2M trips2005: 15.1M trips2006: 15.1M trips2007: 16.7M trips2008: 18.4M trips2009: 18.4M trips2010: 20.6M trips2011: 22.5M trips2012: 23.9M trips2013: 27.2M trips2014: 28.8M trips2015: 31.4M trips2016: 31.3M trips2017: 31.9M trips2018: 32.9M trips2019: 33.4M trips2020: 6.0M trips2021: 8.0M trips

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.

Analysis

The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States is 8.05 million trips, measured in 2021.

The figure is up 34.8% on the previous year and down 64.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States peaked at 33.41 million trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.97 million trips, in 2020.

That places United States 29th out of 179 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 16.89 million trips 16.52 million trips 17.28 million trips 3
2000s 15.70 million trips 12.56 million trips 18.45 million trips 10
2010s 28.41 million trips 20.59 million trips 33.41 million trips 10
2020s 7.01 million trips 5.97 million trips 8.05 million trips 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 26 India 8.79 million trips compare
  2. 27 South Africa 8.64 million trips compare
  3. 28 Dominican Republic 8.18 million trips compare
  4. 30 Albania 7.44 million trips compare
  5. 31 Taiwan 7.28 million trips compare
  6. 32 Belgium 6.65 million trips compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States?
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in United States was 8.05 million trips in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 33.41 million trips in 2019.
What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 5.97 million trips in 2020.
How does United States rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
United States ranks 29th out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 64.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes
Unit
trips
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,054 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.