New travel data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) shows that international visitor arrivals to the United States declined in September 2025 while outbound travel by U.S. citizens continued to rise.
The monthly report indicates that total non-U.S. resident arrivals fell 11% year-on-year to 5,477,289, while U.S. citizen departures increased 0.5% to 8,546,659.
The figures highlight a widening gap between inbound and outbound travel as arrivals remain below pre-pandemic levels and Americans sustain strong demand for overseas destinations. September’s arrivals reached 81.7% of 2019 levels, whereas outbound departures were 112.6% of those recorded in September 2019.
Arrivals Fall as Key Source Markets Shift
NTTO reports that overall overseas visitor volume to the United States dropped 7.7% year-on-year to 2,826,200. The largest number of international arrivals came from Mexico (1,505,562), Canada (1,145,527), the United Kingdom (373,675), Japan (194,092) and Germany (162,435). These top five source markets together accounted for 61.7% of total international arrivals.
Tourism arrivals from overseas markets showed a similar pattern. The United Kingdom led with 318,430 arrivals, followed by Japan at 161,536, Germany at 135,711, Brazil at 120,172 and South Korea at 118,004. Business travel from overseas markets was headed by the United Kingdom with 53,645 arrivals, while India (44,120), Japan (29,787), Germany (25,468) and China (17,823) rounded out the top five.
Outbound Travel Remains Strong
Outbound travel by U.S. citizens showed continued strength in September. Total departures reached 8,546,659, representing a modest 0.5% annual increase and maintaining travel volumes well above pre-pandemic benchmarks. NTTO notes that the year-to-date market share for North America, including Mexico and Canada, stands at 49.1%, while overseas destinations account for 50.9%.
Mexico remained the leading outbound destination with 2,916,364 departures, making up 34.1% of all U.S. citizen international departures for the month. Canada posted a 2.7% year-on-year decline, while the Caribbean and Mexico together accounted for 47.1% of total year-to-date outbound volume. Europe continued to draw significant demand, attracting 2,494,825 U.S. travellers in September, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year.
The September data underscores an ongoing imbalance between inbound and outbound flows. While U.S. travellers sustain momentum for international trips—particularly to Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe—foreign arrivals continue to lag, held back in part by slower recoveries in key long-haul markets. Persistent gaps in the return of overseas tourism remain evident, especially when compared with the pace of outbound growth.
The September 2025 statistics follow earlier monthly trends showing similar dynamics, with inbound numbers fluctuating while outbound travel holds steady or grows. NTTO figures suggest that U.S. residents are continuing to prioritise international trips even as inbound tourism remains sensitive to economic and market-specific factors. The agency’s ongoing reporting provides a snapshot of how travel demand is shifting as the global sector evolves beyond the pandemic-era recovery phase.
Photo Credit: DavideAngelini / Shutterstock.com
AloJapan.com