US department of Commerce in a report yesterday said international visitors who stay one or more nights in the United States will reach a record 77.6 million this year - up more than 3.6 per cent from total visitors in 2014.
However, China with a whopping 163 per cent projected growth is expected to lead globally and in the Asia Pacific region followed by Colombia (54 per cent) and India (42 per cent), it said.
"We want and welcome international visitors to see and experience all America has to offer. As the world economy continues to shift, promoting travel and tourism is essential to our competitiveness,... To the success of our businesses and economy," Pritzker said.
"Obama has understood from the beginning how vital travel and tourism is to the economic health of the United States. Visitors to our country spent a record USD221 billion on travel goods and services last year, supporting 1.1 million total US jobs," she said.
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The latest forecast produces a compound annual growth rate during the forecast period of 4.3 per cent - a slight increase from the 2014 Fall Travel Forecast.
Mexico (37 per cent), and Taiwan (33 per cent).
Venezuela is the only country expected to have a decline in volume during the forecast period. Three countries - Mexico, China, and Canada - are expected to account for 61 per cent of the projected growth from 2014 through 2020.