Travel overall is by far the hardest-hit industry of the ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. A staggering 65% of all U.S. jobs lost in 2020 were supported by travel. Although hospitality and leisure unemployment continues to decline, from 15.9% in January to 10.8% in April, it remains significantly worse than overall U.S. unemployment (6%). The industry will not be able to fully recover without a swift return of all segments of travel, particularly business travel and inbound international travel. International travel and business travel accounted for 41% of all travel spending in 2019, but those two segments remain virtually halted.

Policy Priorities

Power of Travel Policy Platform

ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO CONGRESS AND BIDEN ADMINISTRATION (2021)

U.S. Travel remains in close contact with the White House, congressional leadership, the CDC, DHS and the SBA on relief and recovery policies to restore the travel economy. Recent letters and outreach can be found in the list below:

Business Travel

International Reopening

Infrastructure

Paycheck Protection Program

Additional Efforts

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Use the materials below to reach your members of Congress and help the travel industry speak with a united voice on social media.

  • Call for the reopening of international travel using our latest social guide language and  graphics 
    • Find the Twitter handles for the members of Congress in your state via Tweet Congress

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Urge your members of Congress to cosponsor the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act (S. 477/H.R. 1346). Use Power of Travel Coalition’s Action Alert to send an email or tag them in a tweet.  

  • This bill is estimated to deliver $600 billion in economic output that would not otherwise occur, shortening the timeline for recovery from five years to three years and restoring 1.5 million net new American jobs. The legislation would also boost federal, state, and local tax revenue by $43 billion. 

content media

Appeal to lawmakers using these local-market media materials. 

Published op-eds:

OUTREACH TO CONGRESS AND ADMINISTRATION (2020)

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Travel has been in close contact with the White House, leaders in Congress, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Treasury, and the Small Business Administration. Letters and outreach can be found in the list below:

JOIN THE COALITION

Who we are: All travel employees, from hotel and rental car employees to theme park and cruise line workers, destination marketers, tour operators, small business owners, meeting planners and restaurant staff make up the Power of Travel Coalition, no registration is necessary. CLICK HERE if you would like to be added to receive Power of Travel Coalition Action Alerts.

Links to Additional Resources

Talking Points for Speaking with Members of Congress (March 2021)
NEW: Travel Industry Relief Resources
Travel: An American Opportunity
Fact Sheet: Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act
Fact Sheet: Impacts of Destination Marketing Organizations
COVID-19 Testing Whitepaper
Toolkit: CARES Act Resources for the Travel Industry
Toolkit: COVID-19 Travel Industry Research

See Also

Much for Travel Industry to Like in Senate Coronavirus Relief BillBills Now in House and Senate to Address Core Travel Priority: Relief for DMOsBarnes to House Subcommittee: Resources, Stimulus, Planning and Communication Needed to Resume Air TravelNew Study: Travel Spending in U.S. to Plunge 45% This Year