Overseas arrivals to the United States are expected to increase 3.1 percent from the second to fourth quarters of 2004, reversing a two-year downturn, according to projections released this week by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The estimate was bolstered by a second-quarter turnaround in U.S. hotel bookings from international travelers cited by Marriott International in its quarterly earnings report, released by month
(BTNOnline, July 15).
PwC expects overseas arrivals to reach 1.59 million in December, compared with a low point of 1.48 million in August 2002. The numbers include both business and leisure travelers. Bjorn Hanson, who heads the consulting firm's global hospitality practice, cited two factors for the upturn: the strength of many foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar and the amount of time that has gone by without any terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. "However, visitors wishing to enter the United States now face tougher restrictions at the borders," Hanson said.
The number of international bookings at U.S. Marriott hotels in the quarter jumped 34 percent over the second quarter of 2003. Chairman and CEO J.W. Marriott Jr. said the increase was particularly evident in New York and San Francisco.