The United States this week re-elected former president Donald Trump to the same role. Following the election results, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), U.S. Travel Association and American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) shared their commitment to working with the new administration to progress the businesses of those in the travel industry.
Said ASTA in a statement to its members: “As the global advocates for travel advisors for nearly a century, we have worked with numerous administrations and congresses to advance the interests of travel professionals. We're looking forward to re-introducing ourselves to the Trump administration and new cabinet members who will affect travel policy.”
At the same time, ASTA says its priorities “remain largely the same.” These include:
- Educating policymakers on the key role travel advisors play in the bigger travel community, including booking 40 percent of all air travel to the tune of $95.3 billion in 2023
- Continuing to press legislators and regulators to reverse a policy that forces ticket agents to repay their clients for flight cancellations before they receive those funds from the airline
- Strengthening the travel advisor voice within the Department of Transportation
- Reevaluating a Department of Labor overtime rule, which is forcing steep increases in salaries for small businesses
ASTA also specifically congratulated several members of the 119th Congress, specifically Sen. Jacky Rosen in Nevada and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in Oregon.
Separately, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued the following statement:
“We congratulate President-Elect Trump and look forward to working with the incoming administration to make the United States the world’s top travel destination and improve the travel experience for millions of Americans who take to the roads, rails and sky every day.
“As we embark on a mega-decade of sports—including the World Cup and Summer and Winter Olympics—a tremendous opportunity is ahead to maximize the competitive strength of the United States as a travel destination. We stand ready to work with the new administration to realize America’s full potential.”
AHLA’s interim president and CEO Kevin Carey added: “We congratulate President Trump on his historic victory. AHLA looks forward to working with the Trump-Vance administration and lawmakers of both parties at every level of government to keep the hotel industry—and the many thousands of small businesses and employees that power it—moving forward.”
“The hotel industry is an economic powerhouse for the U.S. economy. AHLA’s overall advocacy goals are to advance public policies that support and enable the industry’s long-term growth potential and protect hoteliers’ bottom lines. Through educating elected officials on the industry’s economic contribution and job-creating power, we seek an environment in which hotel professionals can focus on running and growing their businesses rather than confronting onerous laws and harmful policies. That means supporting business-friendly tax rates and policies to expand the workforce, fighting regulatory overreach, protecting the hotel franchise model from government interference, and ensuring a level playing field for hotels and short-term rentals. AHLA is committed to working with elected officials and policy makers in both parties in pursuit of these crucial priorities.”
Also good to know: With his successful re-election, Sen. Ted Cruz will likely be chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over most travel policy.
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