World tourism rebound has the biggest boost from the U.S.

The United States leads globally in the rebound of the tourism sector, through its economic contribution levels, said the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The contribution to GDP from the U.S. Travel & Tourism sector grew 16.9% in 2022, to reach $2 trillion, the body revealed, following a joint review with analytics and measurement firms Mabrian Technologies and ForwardKeys .

They also highlighted that last year tourism generated 2.7 million additional jobs in the U.S. compared to 2021.

By the end of 2023, WTTC forecast that the sector’s contribution to US GDP will reach US$2.2 trillion and that the number of jobs will total 17.4 million.

This significant growth was driven by a strong rebound in demand from international visitors, whose spending increased by more than 150%, to reach US$115.7 billion by 2022.

Taken together, these figures underscored that U.S. airports welcomed 9.6 million more passengers over the past year compared to 2019.

With contributions reaching pre-pandemic levels, the positive trajectory of the U.S. travel and tourism sector indicates optimism and growth, reflecting the resilience and potential of the industry.