In Brief: The third quarter of 2025 witnessed a decrease in the number of international tourists entering the U.S., while the number of U.S. residents traveling abroad increased, indicating a shift in travel patterns.
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International Air Arrivals to U.S. Decline, Outbound Travel Rises in 2025 Q3 – Image Credit Unsplash+
The Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT), conducted by the NTTO, provides detailed data on air passenger travel between the United States and overseas, Canadian, and Mexican markets. The survey collects information on trip planning, travel patterns, demographics, and spending for both non-U.S. residents arriving in the United States and U.S. residents departing for international destinations. The SIAT has been conducted monthly since January 1983, and its results are available through the NTTO’s online platforms.
Inbound International Air Arrivals to the United States
In the third quarter of 2025, 12.3 million international visitors arrived in the United States by air. Of these, 9.6 million came from overseas markets, 1.7 million from Canada, and 968,000 from Mexico. Compared to the third quarter of 2024, total international arrivals decreased by 5.7 percent. Overseas arrivals declined by 4.4 percent, arrivals from Canada dropped by 15.5 percent, while arrivals from Mexico increased by 1.9 percent.
The leading overseas source markets for visitors were the United Kingdom (1.2 million), Japan (611,000), India (553,000), Germany (518,000), and China (491,000). These five countries accounted for 35 percent of all overseas air arrivals to the United States.
The most visited U.S. states by international air travelers were New York (3.0 million), Florida (2.9 million), California (2.6 million), Nevada (1.0 million), and Texas (650,000). These states represented 82 percent of all international air visits. The top cities visited included New York City (2.9 million), Los Angeles (1.6 million), Orlando (1.4 million), Miami (1.4 million), and Las Vegas (1.0 million), making up 67 percent of total international air visitation.
The average length of stay for international visitors was 17.8 days for those from overseas, 15.3 days for visitors from Mexico, and 7.3 days for those from Canada. Average spending per trip was $1,951 for overseas visitors, $1,487 for Mexican visitors, and $1,264 for Canadian visitors.
Outbound International Air Departures from the United States
During the same period, 20.2 million U.S. residents traveled abroad by air. This included 15.4 million trips to overseas destinations, 2.9 million to Mexico, and 1.9 million to Canada. Outbound air travel from the U.S. increased by 4.5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2024. Departures to overseas destinations rose by 5.3 percent, to Canada by 2.4 percent, and to Mexico by 1.6 percent.
The top states of residence for U.S. travelers going overseas were California (2.3 million), Florida (1.7 million), New York (1.5 million), Texas (1.1 million), and New Jersey (937,000). For travel to Mexico, leading states were California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York. For travel to Canada, the top states were California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois.
The most popular overseas destinations for U.S. travelers were the United Kingdom (2.0 million), Italy (1.7 million), France (1.4 million), Spain (922,000), and Germany (860,000), accounting for 44 percent of all overseas departures.
Average trip length for U.S. residents was 15.8 days for overseas trips, 7.6 days for trips to Mexico, and 7.0 days for trips to Canada. Average spending per trip was $1,927 for overseas destinations, $925 for Mexico, and $1,095 for Canada.
