Canada leads the list of top 10 international markets for travel spending, as reported by the US Department of Commerce’s  Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTI).  Spending in the U.S. from the land of the maple leaf grew 29% in 2010 according to OTI’s latest figures.  Here’s a summary:

1. Canada, $20.8 billion, up 29%
2. Japan, $14.6 billion, up 12%
3. United Kingdom, $11.6 billion, up 1%
4. Mexico, $8.7 billion, up 9%
5. Brazil, $5.9 billion, up 30%
6. Germany, $5.9 billion, up 4%
7. China, $5 billion, up 39%
8. France, $4.1 billion, down 1%
9. India, $4 billion, up 12%
10. Australia, $4 billion, up 16%

In terms of numbers of visitors, Canada again led the list with 19.96 million Canadians visiting the U.S. in 2010, up 11%.

1. Canada, 19.96 million visitors, up 11%
2. Mexico, 13.42 million visitors, up 1%
3. United Kingdom, 3.85 million visitors, down 1%
4. Japan, 3.39 million visitors, up 16%
5. Germany, 1.73 million visitors, up 2%
6. France, 1.34 million visitors, up 11%
7. Brazil, 1.2 million visitors, up 34%
8. South Korea, 1.11 million visitors, up 49%
9. Australia, 904,000 visitors, up 25%
10. Italy, 838,000 visitors, up 11%

Of note, U.S. travel exports to China have increased by at least 30% in six of the last seven years.  U.S. travel and tourism exports account for 25% of all U.S. services exports to China.  Additionally, this past year marked the seventh consecutive year of increased travel spending from Brazil, now the fifth largest international market for the U.S.  Visiting national parks remains high on the list of things to do when in America, among German and British visitors.