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A MESSAGE FROM ROGER DOW Dear Travel
Colleague: At our recent board meeting in Irving, Texas, board members and our staff discussed several initiatives for the coming year and ways to continue the momentum we’ve created during the past few years. Our goal is to create an environment in which:
While we will be engaging policymakers, opinion leaders, the media and our industry on numerous fronts, they will broadly be focused in three key areas in 2010 and beyond:
To provide greater resources to advance our advocacy efforts in the years ahead, the board has supported initiatives we are developing that can help generate revenues to build a war chest for our industry. With numerous crises and policy issues threatening our industry, we have no choice but to come together as never before as an industry to protect our interests and make the case for why travel matters. If we don’t, everyone in the travel community will continue to suffer the consequences and lose billions to their bottom line. My sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who has engaged on the numerous issues impacting our industry during this past year. I look forward to working together in the coming year and beyond to help our industry gain the respect it deserves. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season. Sincerely, |
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U.S. TRAVEL URGES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO SPUR ECONOMY WITH TRAVEL INITIATIVES Job creation took center stage at the White House Jobs and Economic Growth Forum on December 3rd, where the president and his economic team convened business and labor leaders to hear ideas about spurring jobs and income. Forum attendees included CEOs Bob Iger of Walt Disney Company, Gerard Arpey of American Airlines and James McNerney of Boeing. USA Today reported that at the summit, Iger spoke on the importance of implementing immigration policies that will not obstruct international travel to the United States. In advance of the jobs summit, U.S. Travel president and CEO Roger Dow provided an open letter to President Obama that outlined seven ways travel can grow the nation's economy and create new opportunities for out-of-work Americans. Dow's suggested initiatives spur economic expansion through:
The U.S. economy is expected to add about 90,000 new travel-related jobs next year in response to modest increases projected in travel volume and spending, demonstrating the industry's unique ability to quickly create employment opportunities. A day before the jobs summit in Washington, a Wall Street Journal article featured the travel industry's plea to President Obama to stimulate continued economic recovery through travel. U.S., China Extend Agreement to Grow Travel to the U.S. U.S. and Chinese government leaders expanded a bilateral agreement in October to grow leisure travel from China's mainland to the United States, a move to further tap the lucrative and growing Chinese market. The original Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established in 2007 extends access to Chinese travelers by permitting the establishment of not-for-profit representative offices in China for U.S. state and local travel and tourism boards and organizations that wish to promote U.S. tourist destinations to the Chinese public; allowing advertising and marketing activities including creating tourism products for travel to the United States with Chinese operators, presenting at trade shows and advertising in media; and providing an avenue for tour operators to secure expedited visa interviews. The Chinese market holds vast potential for inbound travel. The U.S. Department of Commerce projects an increase of 64 percent between 2008 and 2013. Next year, Commerce estimates 556,000 Chinese arrivals, travelers who spend on average 23 nights in the U.S. and up to $7,200 per person, per trip. The new agreement expands coverage of the original MOU for packaged group leisure travel to a total of 22 jurisdictions in China. The MOU also confirmed that the two sides will hold a meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in January to further extend cooperation in travel and tourism between the two countries. The agreement comes on the heels of the third Sino-U.S. Tourism Directors Summit, held in Orlando, Florida in October. State tourism directors from 23 states joined officials from 30 Chinese provinces to advance their partnership to grow Chinese travel to the United States and strengthen diplomatic ties.U.S. Travel presented 10 recommendations last month to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to improve the entry process at the nation’s top 20 busiest airports through the proper implementation of the Model Ports of Entry Program. These recommendations include improving the CBP officer staffing model to address deficiencies; developing and implementing a strategy to improve customer service; reducing passenger wait times; effectively managing passenger lines; expanding enrollment in International Registered Travel Programs; eliminating duplicative screening of passengers; guaranteeing DHS collaboration with the Department of Commerce to share important traveler data; providing Visa Waiver travelers access to ESTA enrollment; developing a secure and efficient Exit portion of the US-VISIT program; and improving welcoming signage in airports. In order to begin to address the customer service and efficiency concerns at the model ports, DHS will conduct a survey of travelers entering the U.S. through these port locations in May and June 2010. DHS scheduled a meeting to ask for private sector input into the survey questions and methodology, and invited U.S. Travel, along with Disney, Universal Orlando and Marriott, to participate based on previous involvement in the Model Ports Program. Survey recommendations will be provided in coordination with experts within our membership that could provide advice on customer evaluations and survey development. |
In The News News outlets are reporting on issues of consequence to travel. Take note of these recent articles: Some rediscover the benefits of business travel (New York Times) It's not a junket, it's an investment (Business Week) Conventioneers. Remember them? (Entrepreneur Magazine) We can create jobs, too, Big Tourism says (Orlando Sentinel) Can a new U.S. tourism board woo visitors? (Time.com) Two common sense ways to improve the economy (Huffington Post) House transport panel head seeks $69 billion in new spending (Wall Street Journal) FAA or your car: Whose computer has more muscle? (ABCnews.com) See a weekly summary of relevant travel news articles every Wednesday in U.S. Travel News Brief. If you do not receive News Brief, please click here to subscribe. |
DiscoverAmerica.com Extends Offer for Free Ads Into the New Year |
International Pow Wow: Recovery Relief for Your Members When providing counsel to Oregon partners and members who want to enter the international market, Todd Davidson, Chief Executive Officer of Travel Oregon, tells them that it "all begins with International Pow Wow." There is still time to register or for you to invite your smaller member or partner organizations to join you in an expanded multiple booth arrangement. Remember that there is no limit on multiple booths for states. For more information, go to www.powwowonline.com or call Daystar Van Wagner at 202.408.2164 about adding additional booths. |
Special Savings Offer for the Travel & Adventure Shows U.S. Travel Association members save 10 percent on exhibit space at the Travel & Adventure Shows (with Adventures in Travel Expo), the largest consumer travel shows in the United States. Plus, you'll gain immediate sales and leads when your destination is promoted in the Discover America branded pavilion. Shows are located in these top gateway cities: New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. If you are interested in exhibiting? E-mail sales@adventureexpo.com. Discounts do not apply to already contracted exhibitors in 2010 shows. |
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