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International Visitation Economic Impact Report

In 2026, the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) estimated the economic impact of overseas visitors on U.S. states and territories for the first time since 1997. These new estimates capture overseas visitor spending on travel-related goods and services in each U.S. state and territory, as well jobs supported by this spending.
Key points from the Overseas Visitor Impact on State Economies (2024) report:

  • In 2024, the United States welcomed 35.2 million visitors from overseas countries (excluding Mexico and Canada), and these visitors spent $169.8 billion on travel related goods and services, including international student expenditures on education-related goods and services.
  • This spending directly supported nearly 906,000 jobs for the U.S. economy.
  • Iowa was estimated to have welcomed 66,000 international visitors in 2024, generating $456 million in spending and supporting 3,420 jobs. By comparison, other states of note:
    •  Arkansas welcomed 74,000 visitors with impact of $278 million
    • Nebraska had 58,000 international visitors in 2024, with $221 million in economic impact
    • Montana saw 58,000 international visitors, who spent $179 million
    • South Dakota welcomed 52,000 international visitors with impact of $118 million
Opportunities for Iowa
Part of the Iowa Tourism Office’s international marketing strategy is to create awareness of how accessible Iowa is to major gateway airports like Chicago and Minneapolis and encourage travelers to add a few days in Iowa to their Midwest itineraries. Those states had robust numbers of overseas visitors, according to the new report:
  • Illinois saw 1,410,000 visitors with an economic impact of$ 5.737 billion.
  • Minnesota welcomed 233,000 international visitors in 2024 who spent $1.111 billion
  • Wisconsin’s impact was $981 million in spending from 194,000 visitors.
With increased partnerships with our neighboring states, Iowa is well positioned to increase the visitor numbers and create additional revenue for the state through our international marketing efforts.

In addition, in May 2026, NTTO unveiled its new Data Visualization Tool Measuring Impact of Overseas Visitation. The State Profile Monitor breaks down vitiation info key data points, including Main Purpose of the Trip, Type of Accommodation Used, Type of Transportation Used and Top Leisure Activities. Some points of note from Iowa’s data:
  • Main Purpose of the Trip: Visiting Friends/Relatives (45.3%). Business (17.4%), Vacation: (16.8%)
  • Top Leisure Activities Engaged: Shopping (72.7%), Sightseeing (63%), Small Towns/Countryside (57.8%), Art Galleries/Museums (27.7%)
  • Type of Accommodation Used: Private Home (55.6%), Hotel/Motel (46.8%)
  • A key data point was that other states visited on their trip. Visitors to Iowa also visited Illinois (39.7%), Michigan (13.9%) and Minnesota (9.3%), emphasizing the opportunities to leverage the marketing of our neighboring states to attract more international visitors to Iowa.

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