International Arrivals USA
International visitor numbers are expected to grow at about 4 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Department of Commerce

Fewer Europeans travel to the U.S. each year, and the nation hasn’t come up with a way to reverse the trend. But according to statistics released Monday by the U.S. Commerce Department, it may not need to. Indeed, fueled by major gains in visitors from Asia and Latin America, the U.S. received a record number of overseas arrivals in 2012.

The overall number of arrivals to the U.S. has followed an upward trend since 2010 after taking a post-recession tumble in 2009. The U.S. Commerce Department predicted that the growth would continue as numbers climb from a record 67 million foreign visitors last year to a new high of 69.6 million in 2013. A similar growth pattern of about 4 percent is expected each year through 2018, when the agency predicts that 84.6 million travelers, or 17.6 million more visitors than in 2012, will fly, drive or sail into the USA.

The nation’s top 15 ports of entry welcomed 81 percent of all overseas visitors in 2012, while the top three ports alone -- New York, Miami and Los Angeles -- accounted for 39 percent of total foreign arrivals.

Eleven of the top 15 inbound tourism markets posted increases in visitation, fueled by large gains in Latin America and Asia. China alone is expected to grow by 229 percent through 2018, the federal agency said. This is particularly good news as Chinese visitors spend an average of roughly $7,100 per visit to the U.S., more than double the average overseas visitor, who spends about $3,240, according to Commerce Department statistics. International visitors as a whole spent a record-breaking $168.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2012, an increase of more than 10 percent (or roughly $1.3 billion more per month) when compared to 2011.

Scroll down for a complete look at the 15 nations with the most visitors to the U.S. in 2012 and their growth or decline over the previous year.

No. 1 Canada

Canada
Despite a number of high-profile shootings in recent years — including Wednesday's Ottawa shootings — Canada's gun violence stats are low. Reuters

No. 2 Mexico

Acapulco, Mexico
Roughly 14.5 million Mexicans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 7.5 percent. Reuters

No. 3 United Kingdom

British flag
Roughly 3.8 million residents of the United Kingdom visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 1.9 percent. Reuters

No. 4 Japan

Ganbare Nippon
Roughly 3.7 million Japanese visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 13.8 percent. Reuters

No. 5 Germany

German flag at the Reichstag in Berlin
Roughly 1.9 million Germans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 2.9 percent. Reuters

No. 6 Brazil

An aerial view of the famous Christ the Redeemer atop of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro
Roughly 1.8 million Brazilians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 18.8 percent. Reuters

No. 7 China

Vietnamese children wave Vietnamese and Chinese flags to welcome the visit to Vietnam by China's Vice President Xi Jinping at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi
Roughly 1.5 million Chinese (excluding Hong Kongese) visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 35.3 percent. Reuters

No. 8 France

No. 9 South Korea

A man walks past a sign resembling a South Korean flag in Seoul
Roughly 1.3 million South Koreans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 9.3 percent. Reuters

No. 10 Australia

Australia
Roughly 1.1 million Australians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 8.1 percent. Reuters

No. 11 Italy

An Italian flag waves in front of the Montecitorio palace before the start of a finances vote in downtown Rome
Roughly 830,000 Italians visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 6.8 percent. Reuters

No. 12 India

A man takes a bath outside his shanty in front of the Indian national flag in Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai
Roughly 720,000 Indians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 9.2 percent. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

No. 13 Venezuela

Venezuela Election 2012
Roughly 675,000 Venezuelans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 20.3 percent. Reuters

No. 14 Argentina

Gonzalo Higuan Argentina
Roughly 615,000 Argentineans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 20 percent. Reuters

No. 15 Spain

Spanish flag at Bank of Spain building
Roughly 610,000 Spaniards visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 13.3 percent. Reuters

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