Florida received more international air travelers than any other US state in 2025, edging out New York in the annual rankings, according to new data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). A total of 46.4 million international inbound air travelers from Canada, Mexico and overseas visited the United States during the year.
The figures come from the NTTO’s Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) for calendar year 2025, released by the International Trade Administration. The survey covers overseas, Canadian and Mexican air visitor arrivals and tracks spending, behavior and satisfaction across all three groups.
Florida and New York lead state rankings
Florida attracted 9.3 million overseas visitor arrivals, placing it ahead of New York at 9.1 million. California ranked third with 6.6 million, followed by Nevada with 2.3 million and Texas with 1.9 million.
Among Canadian air travelers, Florida was also the top destination, drawing 2.6 million visitors. California ranked second at 1.5 million, with Nevada third at 1.0 million. For Mexican air travelers, California led the rankings with 707,000 visitors, followed by Florida at 608,000 and Texas at 548,000.
UK leads overseas source markets
The United Kingdom was the top overseas source market, generating 4.1 million visitor arrivals to the United States in 2025. India ranked second with 2.1 million, followed by Japan at 2.0 million, Brazil at 1.9 million and Germany at 1.8 million.
The 34.3 million overseas visitors who traveled to the United States spent an average of $1,829 during their stay and remained for an average of 16.9 nights. Their average combined annual household income was $90,880. Most travelers, 58.6 percent, traveled alone, while 21.4 percent traveled with a spouse or partner.
Shopping tops leisure activities
Shopping was the leading leisure activity among overseas visitors, with 82.9 percent reporting it as part of their trip. Sightseeing followed at 77.8 percent, with national parks and monuments attracting 33.9 percent of visitors. Art galleries and museums drew 28.3 percent, and small towns and countryside appealed to 27.6 percent.
Vacation and holiday travel accounted for the largest share of trip purposes at 57.1 percent, followed by visiting friends and relatives at 22.2 percent and business travel at 16.4 percent. Hotels and motels were the accommodation of choice for 71.4 percent of overseas visitors, while 34.6 percent used a private or company car as their primary mode of transport.
High satisfaction and return intent
Satisfaction levels were high across all traveler groups. Among overseas visitors, 97.2 percent said their trip either met or exceeded expectations, and 96 percent said they planned to visit the United States again. The overall entry experience was rated good or excellent by 73.7 percent of overseas arrivals.
Canadian air travelers showed even higher satisfaction, with 98.1 percent reporting their trip met or exceeded expectations. However, return intent among Canadians was slightly lower at 91.4 percent, compared with 96 percent for overseas visitors and 97.9 percent for Mexican air travelers.
Canadian and Mexican visitor profiles
The 8.6 million Canadian air travelers to the United States spent an average of $1,037 during stays averaging 7.8 nights. Their average combined household income was $132,375, the highest of the three groups surveyed. Ride-sharing services were the most common form of transport for Canadian visitors, used by 38.3 percent, while shopping and sightseeing were again the top leisure activities.
Mexico contributed 3.5 million air visitors to the United States in 2025. The average Mexican air traveler stayed 11.8 nights and spent $1,314. Among Mexican visitors, 84.4 percent rated the entry experience as good or excellent, the highest rating of the three groups. Shopping was also the top activity for Mexican travelers at 81 percent, followed by sightseeing at 65.8 percent and amusement and theme parks at 31.5 percent.
Overseas visitors made their decision to travel to the United States an average of 104 days before departure and booked their airline reservation 79 days in advance. On average, overseas and Canadian visitors each traveled to 1.4 states, while Mexican visitors covered a slightly higher average of 1.6 states per trip.
