More Americans Are Traveling Abroad Than Ever Before
And these are the countries where they're going.
2016 is set to be a record year for U.S. travelers.
According to National Travel and Tourism Office, the rate of Americans traveling abroad has increased by 8.2 percent year over year, as of September, the latest month for which data is available. But U.S. travelers haven’t favored all international destinations equally.
Fortune, with help from Euromonitor, determined the countries with the greatest leaps (and losses) in visitors from the United States.
The report, which originally appeared in the January issue of Fortune, highlights an excellent year for Japan. This country’s tourism industry had a record year—thanks in part to a favorable dollar-to-yen exchange rate—and saw a 16.6 percent increase in travelers from the U.S. (We’ve had our eyes on the Mie Prefecture, in particular, as well as Hokkaido, where you can spend a night at the newly opened Zaborin ryokan inn.)
Egypt, conversely, had a difficult year, with the number of American tourists dropping by 16.5 percent.
Iran saw an 11.5 percent increase after economic sanctions were lifted in January, and Belgium and France—despite a series of terrorist attacks—saw increases of 3.5 and 3.9 percent, respectively.
In South America, Brazil and Colombia gained in popularity with Americans. But political and economic upheaval likely deterred American travelers from Venezuela, which saw a 7.2 percent drop in visits.
Where will you travel after the year comes to a close? Check out our list of the 50 best places to travel in 2017 for ideas, like lesser-known regions of Japan, France, and Brazil.