Washington, D.C. — The Travel Business Roundtable (TBR) today introduced travel and tourism as a campaign issue, urging President Bush and Senator Kerry to recognize the important contribution that the travel and tourism industry makes to the nation’s economy. In letters sent to the Bush and Kerry campaigns, TBR is asking the candidates to articulate how they would address the myriad of federal legislative issues that challenge the growth of travel and tourism.

“It’s critical that both Presidential candidates adopt policies to promote the continued growth of the travel and tourism industry, which is the nation’s largest service export,” said Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman of TBR. “Our industry is an engine of economic development, supporting one out of every eight U.S. jobs, and contributing more than $93 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments.”

The TBR letter to the candidates highlights the many challenges that the travel and tourism industry has faced over the past three years, including: a weak economy, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Washington, D.C. and New York anthrax scares, SARS, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, turbulence in the airline industry, and the continued threat of domestic terrorist attacks. To that end, TBR asked the Presidential candidates how each would address the following critical issues:

• Homeland Security’s Impact on Travel and Tourism. Perhaps no industry is more affected by homeland security issues than travel and tourism. TBR recognizes the challenges inherent in balancing the need to facilitate legitimate travel and the flow of commerce with national security. TBR acknowledges that homeland security is paramount and necessary for the safety of travelers. However, it is critical that legitimate business and leisure travelers are able travel to and within the United States without unnecessary hassles.
• Restoring the U.S. as the World’s Premier Destination for International Tourists. International travelers who visit the U.S. stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts. In order for this industry to fully recover and experience pre-9/11 levels, there must be a concerted effort to regain market share and promote the U.S. as the international travel destination of choice. The U.S. ranks third as the most visited destination in the world behind France and Spain. In order to attract more international visitors increased funding is needed for an international destination marketing campaign.
• Ensuring A Consistent Federal Policy Toward Travel and Tourism. Establishment of a Presidential Advisory Council on Travel and Tourism to provide guidance to the federal government on matters involving national tourism development. The council would pursue four major objectives:
• Foster policy development and coordination within the federal government;
• Demonstrate how effective tourism policy can be implemented;
• Raise awareness of the economic importance of travel and tourism; and
• Develop appropriate benchmarks to measure tourism policy success

“Regardless of who wins the election on November 2nd, when the next Congress convenes in January 2005, TBR will aggressively pursue these and other important issues affecting travel and tourism on behalf of the industry,” said Tisch.