Travel Execs, Dept. of Commerce Discuss Business Travel Recovery

On Tuesday, the U.S. Travel Association and a delegation of 11 travel industry leaders met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to discuss promoting safe business and professional travel in the wake of the pandemic. The group also addressed opportunities to help the travel and tourism sector recover.

At the meeting, Graves voiced his support for the travel industry, saying the Commerce Department will bring "all tools to the table" to help overcome the obstacles that are hampering the normal resumption of business travel, both domestically and from abroad.

Discussion topics ranged from the return of employees to urban offices and its correlation to the restart of business travel, to the support of professionally produced meetings and events. Also covered were opportunities to attract global meetings, conventions and exhibitions to the United States.

"We appreciate the focus of our federal partners on rebuilding business and professional travel, and their commitment to restoring this sector of the U.S. economy and workforce," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel. "The travel industry is seizing every opportunity extended to recover quickly — particularly as business travel, conferences, conventions and trade events nationwide continue to lag."

In 2021, total business travel remained at just 47 percent of 2019 levels, and group meetings and events were at a meager 36 percent of 2019 levels. Based on the latest U.S Travel forecast, full business-travel recovery is not expected until 2024.

Dow is optimistic government and industry can work hand-in-hand to restore the travel sector quickly. "A complete recovery of the U.S. economy is directly related to the full and even recovery of America’s travel industry," he noted. He encouraged administration and government officials to send consistent and clear messages to the American public and the world that it is safe to travel again, particularly for vaccinated individuals.

U.S. Travel and its Meetings Mean Business Coalition currently recommend:

• The creation of temporary tax incentives to encourage business travel and spending on entertainment services;
• The creation of a partnership with U.S. destinations and venues to help secure high-value international meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions;
• The repeal of the predeparture testing requirement for all fully vaccinated inbound international arrivals;
• Additional H-2B, J-1 and other temporary work visas available to meet seasonal workforce needs, among others; and
• Restoring visa services and taking steps to modernize the visa process — which could include waiving interviews for low-risk renewals, allowing videoconferencing, and/or offering group visa processing.

Participating in the roundtable were Don Graves; Roger Dow; Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for U.S. Travel; Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority; Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line and national chair of U.S. Travel; Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC; Susan Fox, senior vice president of government relations for the Walt Disney Co.; Walt Leger, general counsel and incoming president and CEO of New Orleans and Co.; Meghan Ludtke, managing director of regulatory affairs for American Airlines; Michael Massari, CSO of Caesars Entertainment and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition; Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants; and Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition.