He issued this statement on passage of the government-wide funding bill, which includes the Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act establishing a new Assistant Secretary of Travel and Tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“The idea to create a presidentially appointed, U.S. Senate-confirmed position to lead federal travel policy has been around for decades. Thanks to a bipartisan and bicameral group of congressional leaders, the United States will now join all G20 countries with a senior federal official focused on travel.
“The Assistant Secretary will play an important role as we partner with government to lower visitor visa wait times, modernize security screening and leverage new technologies to make travel more seamless and secure.”
The U.S. Travel Association thanks Senate Commerce Chair Cantwell and Ranking Member Wicker, Senate Subcommittee Chair on Travel and Tourism Rosen and Ranking Member R. Scott, Senator Sullivan and Representatives Titus and Kuster, as well as all of the bill’s sponsors for their efforts to ensure the passage of the Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act.
U.S. Travel Association is a national non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry. Travelers in the United States are estimated to spend $1.1 trillion in 2022 (still 10% below 2019 levels). U.S. Travel advocates for policies to accelerate an even recovery across the travel industry and restore economic and job growth for this essential contributor to our nation’s success. Visit ustravel.org for information and recovery-related data.
