Travel industry officials recently visited the White House to discuss economy contributions, job creation and the importance of international inbound travel to trade deficit reduction.
U.S. Travel Association personnel said the organization joined CEOs of 13 member companies in exchanging dialogue with the president of the United States and senior administration officials.
“Our discussion with the president was simple: a strong flow of international business and leisure travelers into the U.S. reduces the trade deficit and creates an outsize number of American jobs,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said. “There is a global international travel boom and there is a huge opportunity to greatly expand upon the already strong economy.”
Officials said expanding and enhancing secure visa policies and supporting the Brand USA destination marketing agency was one of the topics of discussion, in addition to transportation infrastructure being critical to the growth of both international and domestic travel.
“The president is a keen listener whenever you’re talking about growing the economy, and he was receptive to the idea that travel growth can be achieved without compromising security,” Dow said. “We’re grateful to the president and his senior aides for their time and attention.”
U.S. Travel Association officials said Dow was joined at the session by Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Jonathan Grella and Senior Vice President for Government Relations Tori Barnes.