More International Travelers Visit U.S.

International visitation to the U.S. rose by 11 percent in the first nine months of 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. From January through September of this year, 45.3 million international visitors traveled to America.

September 2010 represented the 12th consecutive month of increases in U.S. arrivals. In September alone, 5.1 million foreign visitors came to the U.S.

This is good news for the nation's tourism industry, which reeled in an even $100 billion during the first nine months of the year. September was the ninth straight month of growth in U.S. travel and tourism exports.

The most common visitors to the U.S. came from its nearest neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Other top countries included the U.K., Japan, Germany and France. The biggest year-over-year boost in travel to the U.S. came from South Korea, which sent 73 percent more travelers to the U.S. this September than in September 2009.
 
In September, the most common entry points to the U.S. were New York-JFK, Miami and Los Angeles, which accounted for a combined 37 percent of all overseas arrivals.

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