More than 9.3 million Americans traveled overseas in March 2026 as outbound international travel from the United States continued to grow beyond pre-pandemic levels, according to new data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).
The figures showed that U.S. citizen international departures reached 9,308,594 in March, up 5.2% compared to the same month in 2025. The total also exceeded March 2019 levels by 11.2%, highlighting continued demand for international travel among American travellers.
At the same time, international visitor arrivals to the United States reached 5,537,310 in March 2026, an increase of 2% year-on-year. Total inbound travel volume recovered to 88.5% of pre-pandemic March 2019 levels.
The strongest inbound visitor markets remained Canada and Mexico. Canada recorded 1,533,003 arrivals, while Mexico followed closely with 1,527,879 visitors during the month.
The United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany were among the leading overseas source markets for travel to the United States.
Combined, the top five inbound markets of Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany accounted for more than 67% of all international arrivals to the U.S. in March.
Overseas visitor arrivals alone totaled 2,476,428, up 3.6% compared to March 2025.
The largest overseas tourism markets were the United Kingdom with 270,435 arrivals, followed by Japan with 143,153, Brazil with 126,845, Germany with 117,687 and Colombia with 90,803.
The data also highlighted continued strength in business and student travel to the United States.
The top overseas business travel markets were the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Germany and China. China remained the leading overseas market for student arrivals with 23,978 visitors, ahead of India and South Korea.
Outbound travel from the United States continued to be dominated by nearby destinations. Mexico accounted for 3.7 million departures in March, representing 40.1% of all outbound U.S. international travel.
Canada also recorded year-on-year growth of 4.2%, while the Caribbean remained one of the most popular regions for American travellers.
Combined year-to-date travel to Mexico and the Caribbean represented nearly 55% of all U.S. outbound international departures.
Europe ranked as the second-largest overseas region for U.S. travellers, recording 1,636,773 departures during March. Travel from the United States to Europe increased 2.8% compared to the same month in 2025.
The latest figures reflect continued recovery in global travel demand as airlines expand international capacity and travellers increasingly return to long-haul and cross-border trips.
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