National Travel and Tourism Office launches COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor

COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor tracks a number of indicators that measure the performance of the travel and tourism sector in the United States in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In 2020, overseas visitation to the US declined 81% to its lowest level in 35 years
• The share of global travelers planning US vacation fell to a record low
• The data displayed in the Monitor come from various agencies of the Federal Government

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on tourism to and within the United States. In 2020, overseas visitation to the United States declined 81% to its lowest level in 35 years, while the share of global travelers planning a vacation also fell to a record low.

The COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor – a user-friendly web platform that brings key health, economic and travel data together in one place, was built to help businesses, policy makers and communities stay informed on the state of the travel industry and to plan recovery efforts.

Developed by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), part of the Industry and Analysis Unit of the International Trade Administration, the COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor tracks a number of indicators important for the performance of the travel and tourism sector in the United States in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: COVID-19 Cases, International Visitation, Travel Indicators, Travel in Trade, Business and Consumer Sentiment, and Key Economic Indicators.

The data displayed in the Monitor come from various agencies of the Federal Government (Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Transportation, U.S. Census Bureau, etc.) and the private sector (Smith Travel Research, Arrivalist, The Conference Board, etc.).

“ITA’s National Travel and Tourism Office is pleased to have developed the COVID-19 Travel Industry Monitor in response to a recommendation made by the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to the Secretary of Commerce,” said Isabel Hill, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism. “It provides easily accessible data that the travel and tourism industry can use to inform its strategic planning decisions and to assist policy makers in their consideration of economic recovery measures.”

In the coming months, NTTO will release and post additional monitors on a variety of topics: international visitation, travel balance of payments statistics, and the overall economic impact of travel and tourism.