Some 6.1 million international visitors traveled to the United States in September 2014, a 2 percent increase from September 2013, the U.S. government announced December 15.
Every month in 2014 has had an increase from the previous year, the U.S. International Trade Administration said.
“Today’s data proves that the administration’s efforts to promote the United States as a prime vacation destination are having a positive impact,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan M. Selig. “We are well on our way to achieving President Obama’s goal of bringing more than 100 million international visitors to the United States by the year 2021.”
The top sources of international visitors to the United States continued to be Canada and Mexico. The United Kingdom, Japan and the People’s Republic of China rounded out the top five, with visits from China in September up 20 percent over the same period in 2013.
To attract more Chinese travelers to the United States, on November 10 President Obama announced a reciprocal visa validity arrangement between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China. Both countries agreed to increase the validity of short-term tourist and business visas to 10 years — the longest validity possible under U.S. law. As a result of this arrangement, the United States hopes to welcome a growing number of Chinese travelers.
