Chris Thompson, the charismatic leader of Brand USA, has ended his remarkable tenure as President and CEO, a role he has cherished for over a decade. His departure marks the conclusion of an era i
Travel industry leaders Roger Dow, former president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC, and Peter F. Herschend, co-founder of Herschend Enterprises, were inducted into the U.S. Travel Association Hall of Leaders on Wednesday.
Roger joined U.S. Travel in 2005 following a successful 34-year career at Marriott International. Though Roger often joked that he had no experience in lobbying prior to taking on the job as travel’s top advocate, his sharp business acumen, vast network of contacts and decades of experience created a lasting impact on the U.S. travel industry.
Outgoing president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association Roger Dow will be the 2022 inductee into U.S. Travel’s Hall of Leaders.
He will be the 104th travel luminary inducted into the Hall of Leaders, which was established in 1969 with the goal of recognizing “sustained, noteworthy contributions that have positively impacted the travel industry.”
The travel industry cheered the end of the predeparture testing requirement for inbound air travelers, which the Biden administration said would expire June 12.
Repeal of testing requirement for all inbound air travelers projected to add 5.4 million visitors to U.S. and $9 billion in travel spending through remainder of 2022.
In his latest IPW as CEO and CEO of the US Travel Association, Roger Dow highlighted the importance of this meeting in Orlando in restoring incoming travelers to the US, but also highlighted the barriers that remain, including the requirement to anticipate departure for vaccinated air travelers entering the US.
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.
Eliminating tests and speeding up visas for tourists are a priority for the US travel industry.
