AH&LA’s Lodging Industry Profile (LIP) provides a comprehensive, easy-to-read list of these and other significant facts about the lodging, travel, and tourism industries, including employment impact, international travel statistics, and property and room breakdowns by location, rate, and size. The complete 2011 AH&LA Lodging Industry Profile is available on AH&LA’s Information Center website.
For 2010, the U.S. lodging industry posted pre-tax profits of $18 billion—up from $16 billion in 2009, according to the LIP. The industry also had $127.7 billion in sales—up slightly from $127.2 billion in 2009. This $127.7 billion contributed to an overall $759 billion in tourism sales, with resident and international travelers’ expenditures in the U.S. estimated at $2 billion/day; $86.6 million/hour; $1.4 million/minute; and $24,000/second.
The percentage of international travelers to the U.S. increased 9 percent from 54.9 million in 2009, to a record 59.7 million in 2010; arrivals from overseas travelers increased by 11 percent to record 26.4 million. The top 10 countries in terms of U.S. arrivals for 2010 were Canada (20 million), Mexico (13.4 million) the United Kingdom (3.9 million), Japan (3.4 million), Germany (1.7 million), France (1.3 million), Brazil (1.2 million), South Korea (1.1 million), Australia (904,000), and Italy (838,000). These 10 countries accounted for 80 percent of U.S. international visitors.
“After several years of declining sales, streamlining budgets, and leaner staffs, 2010 finally was the industry’s transitional year,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney. “Although it didn’t happen as quickly as many had hoped, the numbers show that our cyclical industry has officially transitioned back to the road of profitability.”
Information contained in the LIP is based on 2010 data provided by D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd.; STR; U.S. Travel Association; U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, Bureau of Economic Analysis; Statistics Canada; and Banco de Mexico. Figures for year-end 2011 will be available in summer 2012.