The President and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman, highlighted the efforts they are making to address the barriers that restrict the growth of international inbound travel, while also highlighting opportunities to improve the sector.

In his first participation in an IPW as a leader of the US Travel Association, Freeman detailed four examples of how the US federal government can improve and increase inbound travel:

Reduce wait times for visitor visa interviews, which average more than 500 days in the top 10 visa-requiring markets worldwide (excluding China, which has not yet fully resumed outbound flights) for applicants for first time. Current average wait times are 527 days in Brazil, 406 days in India, and 647 days in Mexico.

Address US Customs entry delays. In the past month, international visitors at major US airports frequently experienced average wait times of more than an hour.

Improve the air travel experience through a 10-year strategic vision.

Increase competitiveness in the global travel market.

“As a country, we must stay competitive; to see around the corner and anticipate challenges that were not on our radar five or 10 years ago.”

“We need to constantly evolve to meet new demands and ensure that our entry process is not only secure, but also simple and welcoming.”

Nearly 5,000 attendees from more than 60 countries gathered in San Antonio, Texas, May 20-24 for the 54th annual IPW, the travel industry's leading international marketplace and the largest generator of inbound travel to the United States .

“The thousands of attendees we received this week are indicative of the strong demand we are seeing for inbound travel to the US,” said US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman.

IPW convened national travel professionals along with international tour operators, buyers and wholesalers from around the world, to come together under one roof, the Henry B. González Convention Center, for 90,000 business appointments scheduled over three days that will attract future business travel and tourism to the United States

The delegation also included nearly 500 members of the national and international media. Reporters covered the event itself and also met with travel business and destination leaders at the Media Marketplace to generate US travel reporting.

Brand USA returned as IPW's title sponsor. American Express is the official card of the United States Travel Association.

The 55th annual IPW will take place from May 3-7, 2024 in Los Angeles.