United States Travel Association’s IPW 2024, the largest annual inbound tourism trade show of the United States, kicked off in Los Angeles in California on Sunday with a lot of cheerful news for the United States as the country registered a 28 pc growth in international arrivals in 2023 that stood at 67 million.

Starting off the formal proceedings for IPW’s latest edition and his final attendance as President and CEO of Brand USA, Chris Thompson, presented a status report of the inbound tourism as he delivered his final press conference.

At the conference Thompson said that as the US international inbound travel industry continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, Brand USA is poised to further elevate the United States’ position as a premier travel destination.

“There is a clear resurgence in travel enthusiasm with the United States continuing to lead the world in long-haul travel arrivals. And while retiring is bittersweet for me personally, the industry is strong, and Brand USA is well positioned which gives me the confidence to step aside,” Thompson told the media.

According to Thompson, last year, the country welcomed nearly 67 million visitors who spent USD 213 billion on travel and tourism-related activities within the United States, representing a 28 pc increase over the prior year. Thompson had a special mention for India, which is the only large source market to have fully recovered from the pandemic. He said that inbound visitation from India has already surpassed 2019 visitation levels, and added that a number of other countries, namely Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom are set to cross the pre-pandemic numbers by 2025.

Thompson added that Brand USA’s recent research shows that the United States is the top aspirational destination, ranking first among likely international travellers in Brazil, Canada, China, Japan and Mexico. Particularly noteworthy is the surge in intent to visit the USA among Chinese visitors, which began increasing towards the latter half of last year and reached its highest level in March 2024 at 55 pc, he added.

Todd Davidson, Brand USA board chair and chief executive officer of Travel Oregon

Setting a target for the future, Brand USA’s outgoing leader said that the US is set to welcome 90 million visitors who will spend USD 279 billion annually by 2027, the goals that have been outlined in the 2022 National Travel and Tourism Strategy. According to Brand USA, the latest forecast by Tourism Economics shows that nearly 78 million visitors are expected to visit the USA by the end of 2024.

Brand USA says it aims to engage consumers in a new way as it sets to capitalise on the global events taking place in the United States over the next 3-4 years, such as WorldPride in Washington, DC, 100th Anniversary of Route 66, FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“Brand USA’s commitment to inviting international travellers to the United States is a key reason why the USA remains the most aspirational travel destination in the world,” said Thompson.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Todd Davidson, Brand USA board chair and chief executive officer of Travel Oregon, welcomed Fred Dixon, Brand USA’s incoming President and CEO. Dixon, who currently serves as the CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, will take the helm of the organisation on July 15, 2024.