What are the cities most visited by foreign tourists when they travel to the United States?
The United States is one of the countries that receives the most international tourists in the world. In 2019, the world’s leading economic power reached almost 80 million tourists and was only surpassed by France and Spain.
In 2020, due to the restrictions due to the coronavirus, the international tourism industry has plummeted, but in the United States this sector is not as relevant as it is in Spain, where it plays such a brutal economic role that it can practically be considered as the first economic activity of the country.
In any case, the news in the sector is not at all positive, since since last March there have been restrictions imposed by the Government of Washington to prevent the entry of international tourists from the Schengen area, in which Spain is located.
These restrictions will end on December 31, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will be extended in 2021, a decision that the newly elected president will have to make.
How to travel to the United States from Spain?
Once the borders are reopened, Spanish citizens will be able to travel to the United States again, which has become one of the most demanded countries by national tourists. In fact, between 2014 and 2019 there has been a growth of more than 2 million Spanish tourists to the country of Uncle Sam.
Much of this growth is explained by the ease of traveling to the United States, since it is not necessary to obtain a visa. In fact, the document that replaces the visa is the United States ESTA, which consists of an electronic travel authorization system that can be purchased directly from the internet.
Its price is very affordable and allows you to stay for 90 days in the United States. In addition, its validity is from two years. The preferential option if you travel to this territory as a tourist is to obtain the ESTA, but there are more documents in case the stay is longer or the trip is urgent.
What do the Spanish visit when they travel to the United States?
The attractions of the country presided over by Donald Trump are innumerable, but it is true that there are some corners that appear on the list of essentials for tourists.
One of them is New York. The “city that never sleeps” is the most visited in the entire country and the reasons that explain it are very varied: Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, Broadway… New York heads the city rankings every year most visited on the entire planet, or at least it is among the top positions.
Route 66 is another one of those unforgettable experiences in the United States. It is perhaps the most popular road trip in the world, but for this you have to spend a lot of time, since its extension from east to west of the country is thousands of kilometers. Who has never imagined going on a road trip and emulating the adventures of Thelma and Louise looking for freedom?
In the northeast of the country, at a distance relatively close to New York (assuming the enormous extension of the United States), to reach Chicaco, which is where Route 66 begins. This is the second most visited city in the United States, ahead of Los Angeles and only behind NY. Famous for its basketball team and the eternal figure of Michael Jordan, Chicago is a cultural, artistic and commercial city.
A journey from east to west
Los Angeles is not even the third most visited city, as others like Orlando or Atlanta sneak in, but it is certainly one of the best known for the influence of cinema and Hollywood. Its beaches are also an object of desire for many tourists, as well as the famous neighborhood of Beverly Hills.
If Chicago was relatively close to New York, the same can be said for Los Angeles for Las Vegas. Before reaching the Californian city and without leaving Route 66, another essential stop is the most populous city in Nevada, considered the gaming capital of the world.
More than 50 million people visit Las Vegas each year and its casinos, neon lights, chapels to get married dressed as Elvis, luxury hotels and numerous restaurants of all kinds stand out. Fun and splurge, it’s all in Las Vegas.
After these large cities, to which we must add others such as San Diego, San Francisco, Orlando, Atlanta, Washington DC, Miami, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Arizona or Dallas, among many others, there are endless natural attractions such as Yellowstone National Park, Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park or the Colorado Canyon that make it impossible to discover everything the country has to offer in a single visit.