ITB to Unveil Report on Inbound, Outbound American Travel

IPK International will release extensive details on America’s inbound and outbound travel performance during the ITB Future Day, March 11, at ITB Berlin. The contraction in American outbound travel has been severe, the report says.

Despite a strong start to 2008, growth in U.S. outbound travel slowed fairly dramatically in March, and turned negative in June, the beginning of the outbound slump. By September, the monthly decline was over 7 percent.

The freeze had set in. As Americans reduce their travel, Europeans are being hit the hardest, according to Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin.

According to the report, tourist arrivals into the U.S. were running at 8 percent growth until August 2008. September was flat. While final figures are still being collated, the report says declining arrivals in the fourth quarter will drag America’s overall performance for 2008 down from 8 percent to 6 percent.

According to official U.S. data, before the abrupt fourth quarter 2008 global economic downturn, European arrivals into America had been surging ahead at an average of 17 percent, led by Spain (up 36 percent), Italy (up 29 percent), France (up 28 percent), the Netherlands (up 26 percent) and Germany (up 20 percent).

Travel from Asia to the U.S., however, stagnated in 2008, attributable in large part to a 6 percent decline in travelers from Japan, the U.S.’s largest market in Asia. ITB Berlin 2009 will be taking place from Wednesday, March 11 to Sunday, March 15 and will be open to trade visitors from Wednesday to Friday.