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AHLA Statement Regarding Omnibus Funding Package
AHLA | March 14, 2022
WASHINGTON – March 14, 2022 –Following Senate and House passage of a $1.5 trillion government-funding package, AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers released the below statement. “While we are disappointed this package does not include the targeted COVID-19 relief hotel employees and small businesses have needed since the early stages of the pandemic, the bill contains a number of victories for hoteliers. The legislation secures $50 million for Brand USA – a vital public-private partnership dedicated to increasing international tourism to America, driving the nation’s economy and our industry. In addition, the bill would giv...
Passage of Omnibus Spending Bill Includes $250 Million for Brand USA, America’s Destination Marketing Organization
U.S. Travel Association | March 11, 2022
WASHINGTON — March 11, 2022 — U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the full Senate passage of the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill, which includes the Restoring Brand USA Act to provide $250 million in relief funding to the United States’ destination marketing organization: “The inclusion of the Restoring Brand USA Act in the fiscal spending bill is a major win for the entire U.S. travel industry, which has suffered more than any other industry throughout the pandemic. As international travel spending remains 78% below pre-pandemic levels, the relief provided by the bill—which ut...
Short Extension of Mask Mandate Creates Opportunity for Endemic Policies in New Framework
U.S. Travel Association | March 11, 2022
WASHINGTON — March 11, 2022 — U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the Biden administration’s announcement to extend the federal mask mandate on airlines and transportation services until April 18, 2022: “The Biden administration urgently needs to send a clear message to the American public and the world that it is safe to travel again, particularly for vaccinated individuals, despite this 30-day extension of the federal mask mandate. We continue to urge the federal government to phase out the mask requirement and put forward a clear plan for travelers within this 30-day pe...
AAHOA Chair Vinay Patel Issues Statement on Russia’s Premeditated, Unprovoked, and Unjustified Invasion of Ukraine
AAHOA | March 10, 2022
ATLANTA, GA – March 10, 2022 – Two weeks ago, Russian military forces under the guidance of President Putin began an unprovoked and unjustified attack on the Ukrainian people. Today, more than two million people have fled Ukraine, with as many as five million expected to be displaced as Russian troops continue to advance toward major cities. The thoughts and prayers of AAHOA Members, Americans, and the entire world are with the Ukrainian people as they suffer through this tragic humanitarian crisis. “Seeing the news – images and videos of Ukrainian people in bomb shelters, fleeing their homes, and crowding train stations to g...
U.S. Travel Association: Implementation of 5G Would Mean Travel Disruptions and More Economic Harm
U.S. Travel Association | January 19, 2022
WASHINGTON — January 19, 2022 — U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the implementation of 5G wireless near U.S. airports: “The U.S. Travel Association is urgently calling on the U.S. government and mobile wireless carriers to delay the introduction of 5G wireless around affected airports until critical operational concerns can be resolved. “The implementation of 5G around affected airports threatens to disrupt domestic and international air travel, delay thousands of passengers, and cause unnecessary economic harm to the nation and the entire travel industry – not just...
AHLA Statement on Stalled Negotiations on New Covid Relief Legislation
AHLA | October 7, 2020
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2020) – The following is a statement from Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, on the stalled negotiations surrounding additional COVID relief legislation. “This is unacceptable and unconceivable with millions of Americans out of work and thousands of small businesses barely hanging on. It’s time for our leaders in Washington to put politics aside and chart a bipartisan path forward to help businesses and employees in the hardest-hit industries. Millions of jobs and the livelihoods of people who have built their small business for decades are just withering away becau...
U.S. Travel Expresses Extreme Disappointment on Relief Talks Ending
The U.S. Travel Association | October 7, 2020
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the White House ending coronavirus relief negotiations: “Hardworking Americans whose livelihoods depend on travel and tourism cannot wait until after the election for relief. The reality is that small businesses in every pocket of America are shuttering—they needed relief months ago, which has been made clear week after week. “With millions of Americans suffering, it is woefully shortsighted to end relief negotiations. New data from Tourism Economics shows that, without immediate aid, 50% of all travel-supported job...
U.S. Travel Calls on Senate to Pass Relief Bill as Economy Loses Staggering $2 Billion per Day
U.S. Travel Association | September 10, 2020
WASHINGTON (September 9, 2020)—New data from the U.S. Travel Association underscores how a nationwide economic recovery will not be possible until Congress prioritizes emergency relief legislation for all segments of the travel industry. A staggering $360 billion—or $2 billion per day—has been drained from the overall U.S. economy since March as a result of decreased travel demand due to the pandemic, according to research prepared by Tourism Economics. The devastation has wiped out half of all travel-supported U.S. jobs—which prior to COVID-19 had provided employment for one in 10 Americans—between the onset of the pandemic a...
