Fewer Than One in 10 U.S. adults Say Swine Flu (H1N1) Has Impacted Travel Plans

Despite a challenging environment, spending by visitors to the U.S. increased to $52 billion in 2008, up $7 billion from 2007[1], as measured by spending on Visa-branded payments cards by international visitors. At the same time, Americans exercised a similar desire for international travel, spending $42.4 billion on their Visa cards abroad in 2008, up 3 percent from 2007[2]. This is according to Tourism Outlook: USA, a new report released by Visa Inc. (NYSE: V).

While there is continued interest in international travel, both U.S. inbound and outbound spending declined between January and March 2009 compared with the same period in 2008. Despite this, nearly half of Americans surveyed (47 percent) in Tourism Outlook said the economic environment has not impacted their desire to travel outside the U.S., and 18 percent are even more willing to travel internationally. However, 83 percent plan to modify their travel plans based on the economic environment. Nearly half of respondents (46 percent) plan to travel during the off-peak season to take advantage of lower prices, while 31 percent plan on traveling closer to home. The Visa Tourism Outlook survey evaluated travel intentions and attitudes among 5,539 travelers in 11 nations, including the U.S., who have traveled internationally in the past two years. Read More