Brand USA kicked off IPW 2022, the industry's leading inbound travel trade show, with its press conference.

Brand USA Chairman and CEO Chris Thompson highlighted the progress made since the US reopened borders to vaccinated travelers and provided new details on Brand USA's recovery framework, which was recently submitted to Congress. The Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis of the Department of Commerce of the United States, Grant Harris, joined the meeting with journalists.

The new strategy is intended to improve the competitive position of the United States to attract international visitors and increase travel and tourism to promote economic growth and job creation throughout the country over the next five years. "The importance of the travel and tourism industry to the nation's economy and its overall health and well-being cannot be understated," said Deputy Secretary Harris. “The release of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's 2022 National Travel & Tourism Strategy underscores the Biden-Harris Administration's support for the travel & tourism industry and its workforce. The important work that federal agencies are doing in conjunction with Brand USA and the private sector is aimed squarely at restoring inbound international tourism as the economic powerhouse that the United States has long been.”

Speaking at IPW 2022 in Orlando Florida, Grant Harris, along with Chris Thompson, announced the four pillars of the strategy, as well as new partnerships with businesses designed to invigorate tourism. , including Disney, Comcast and the tourist office of each state.

“The travel tourism strategy has four pillars,” said Harris. “First, promote the United States as a travel destination; second, to facilitate travel to and within the United States; third, ensure diverse, inclusive and accessible travel experiences; and fourth, promote resilient and sustainable tourism”.

The National Travel and Tourism Strategy also includes promoting more diverse tourism experiences beyond the coastal states, reducing the industry's contributions to climate change, and building a sector that is resilient to natural disasters and public health threats.

Before the pandemic, the US received 79.4 million international visitors, a number that plummeted to 19.2 million in 2020 and rose to 22.1 million in 2021. International tourism spending reached $239.4 billion in 2019, but dropped to $81 billion during the pandemic.

“We commend the leadership of Commerce Secretary Raimondo and the Tourism Policy Council and applaud the ambitious goal of attracting 90 million annual visitors to the US by 2027. The strategy sets out specific actions the government can take to rebuild our economy. of travel and doing is more competitive globally than it was before the pandemic,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association.

“There is much work ahead, but the administration must begin by immediately repealing the pre-departure testing requirement for all vaccinated international air travelers and taking steps to reduce visa wait times.”

The US still requires tourists entering to show proof of vaccination and authorities have said the issue is under study, in the face of claims from the travel industry.

Thompson said that the pre-departure testing requirement "is hampering our ability to get back to 2019 numbers." On when it could potentially end, he said: "We don't know when it will happen, but we're looking forward to it and hopeful that it will happen."

On inflation, Thompson said that it is a global issue, but that the United States is well positioned due to the diversity of its product. "People consider travel to be a birthright," he said. "And with our diversity, we have something for every level of affordability."

Roger Dow, outgoing president and CEO of the US Travel Association, participated in the inaugural press conference in Orlando.

"This may be the 53rd IPW, but in a way it's the first," Dow said. “We've been through two years of things we only imagined for a movie plot. In March 2020, international inbound travel came to a complete halt."

Travel is definitely on the upswing now, and while some forecasts don't see a full recovery in US travel until 2024 or 2025, Dow believes it will be much sooner.

“2023 is going to be the year. This is a coil spring. Travel will come back and it will be better than ever.”

Chris Thompson thanked Dow for its 17 years of service to the US Travel Association, noting to international journalists that Dow brought unprecedented "profile and strength" to the US travel industry during its tenure. long tenure.

The United States has ambitious goals for the recovery and growth of an industry that in 2019 represented 9.5 million jobs and an economic impact of 1.9 trillion dollars.

The recently published US Travel and Tourism Strategy, produced by the US Department of Commerce, predicts 90 million international visitors by 2027, well ahead of the 79.3 million who arrived before the 2019 pandemic.