usta
U.S. Travel Convenes Destination Leaders to Chart Future of Tourism Marketing
U.S. Travel Association | August 16, 2021
LOS ANGELES — August 16, 2021 — U.S. Travel this week convened more than 650 destination marketers in Los Angeles for the association’s annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO), marking one of the largest national gatherings of destination marketers since the start of the pandemic. The industry’s premier knowledge-sharing forum, taking place August 15-17 at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, is bringing together destination leaders from around the country to chart a path forward while leading by example that professional meetings and events can safely take place. ESTO is being held in-person in accordance...
Two Dozen Industry Groups Release Blueprint to Reopen International Travel
U.S. Travel Association | July 8, 2021
WASHINGTON — July 8, 2021 — A coalition of 24 trade organizations representing a large and diverse swath of the U.S. economy is renewing urgent calls to lift restrictions on international visitation to the United States, and on Wednesday released a policy blueprint for reopening borders safely. Called “A Framework to Safely Lift Entry Restrictions and Restart International Travel,” the document identifies policy principles for finally welcoming international visitors back to the United States while keeping health and safety as the top priority. “The travel industry agrees that being guided by the science is absolutely the corr...
Travel Industry Welcomes President Biden, Vice President Harris
U.S. Travel Association | January 20, 2021
WASHINGTON (January 20, 2021)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the 46th president of the United States: “On behalf of America’s travel and tourism industry, I congratulate President Biden and Vice President Harris on their inauguration and welcome their leadership in Washington. “President Biden is acutely aware of the economic pain the pandemic has inflicted on our industry and its workforce, and we are encouraged by the administration’s focus on providing additional, direct relief to businesses in the hardest-hit industries. ...
U.S. Travel Reacts to Proposed COVID Relief Framework
U.S. Travel Association | December 9, 2020
WASHINGTON (December 9, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the announced Bipartisan Emergency COVID Relief Act of 2020: “We are very encouraged that the bipartisan deal framework includes a number of provisions that we have long been pushing as critical to rescuing businesses and jobs. “In particular, the second draw on PPP funds and the expansion of eligibility to non-profit organizations that promote travel and tourism will be especially beneficial to America’s hardest-hit industry. “This relief proposal package is wise...
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 Announces New Dates for IPW 2021 in Las Vegas
The U.S. Travel Association | October 1, 2020
WASHINGTON (October 1, 2020)—The U.S. Travel Association today announced that IPW, its annual international inbound travel trade show, will be a live, in-person event held in Las Vegas from September 18-22, 2021. The September dates are revised from previously released 2021 event dates. U.S. Travel, together with premier sponsor Brand USA and our hosts, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Travel Nevada, secured later dates to provide additional time for international long-haul travel to the United States to broadly resume. “Next year’s IPW will reunite the global travel community and be the keystone for safely rebu...
U.S. Travel Reacts to Economic Plunge
The U.S. Travel Association | July 31, 2020
WASHINGTON (July 31, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the record plunge in U.S. GDP announced Thursday morning: “This morning’s news of a 32.9% Q2 contraction is evidence that this economy is not going to be able to make it up off the mat without bold action by Congress to provide significant and meaningful relief. “The travel industry, which helped employ one in 10 Americans last year, has been hit hardest by the economic fallout of the pandemic—having lost half its jobs already and on track for a drop of more than a half...
STEP Act Would Provide Needed Relief for Travel Employers
U.S. Travel Association | July 29, 2020
WASHINGTON (July 29, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on introduction of the Sustaining Tourism Enterprises During the COVID-19 Pandemic (STEP) Act (S. 4299): “Protection, relief and stimulus for travel-related businesses needs to be a significant priority in order for the broader economy to recover, and the bipartisan STEP Act introduced in the Senate includes a number of crucial measures for employers to hold on until they can rehire and help fuel an economic turnaround. “The grants the bill would provide through the Economic D...
