Travel to or within the U.S. grew 3.2 percent year over year in July, and it will grow 1.8 percent year over year for the period from August through January, according to the U.S. Travel Association's Travel Trends Index.
In July, domestic travel rose 3.8 percent year over year; domestic leisure travel grew 4.2 percent, and domestic business travel grew 2.2 percent. USTA predicts domestic travel will expand at the slower rate of 2 percent year over year for the period from August through January, leisure contributing slightly more than business. Slower consumer spending and business investment will weigh down domestic travel, according to the association. For the period from August through January, domestic leisure and business travel are projected to grow, but at a slower pace, 2.2 percent for leisure and 1.6 for business.
International inbound travel to the U.S. fell 1.2 percent year over year in July. In four of the first seven months of this year, international inbound travel has contracted, USTA noted. It attributed the contraction largely to a stronger U.S. dollar, a softening global economy, ongoing U.S.-China trade conflicts and discussions around the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. For the period from August through January, these economic and policy factors will cause international inbound travel to contract at 0.4 percent, USTA anticipates.
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