03052022 NEWS FROM IAGTO
The US government published international travel data from February this year, showing that visitor arrivals were running at just under half what they were in 2019, with outbound travel running closer to 2019 levels at 67%.
Marking 11 months of consecutive growth, both figures are expected to get closer to the 2019 numbers with each passing month.
Top markets for inbound travel were Mexico, Canada, UK, Brazil and France. While, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean were unsurprisingly the most popular outbound destinations in the winter, with Europe also doing well.
Meanwhile, the National Golf Foundation has reported that 80% of core golfers have plans to take a golf trip this year, which is up 15% from last year. And in an the NGF’s survey of 75 golf resorts, it was reported that, on average, advance bookings are up 12% year on year and up 20% over 2019.
Of course, the majority of of these bookings so far will have been from domestic golf travel, which puts its own pressure on returning international golf tour operator business. But a perfect time for the North American golf tourism industry to be gathering in Reno next month for our 12th NAC event – getting back in the game!