Travel and Tourism Industry Buoys Record U.S. Export Figures for 2012

Release Date: Mar 07, 2013

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration released the December 2012 data on international travel and tourism to the United States, which shows that exports in this sector hit a record $168.1 billion in 2012.

Travel and tourism exports represent the largest service-export industry within the United States. In 2012, travel and tourism accounted for 8% of all U.S. exports and 27% of all service-exports, which themselves hit a record in 2012, reaching $632.3 billion. International travel and tourism also helped contribute to the record surplus the U.S. holds in services exports, which hit $195.3 billion in 2012, and the overall record U.S. export figure of $2.2 trillion.