U.S. Travel Forms Coalition to Build a More Sustainable Future for All Sectors of the Travel Industry

August 3, 2022

The U.S. Travel Association launched the Sustainable Travel Coalition in an effort to help every sector of the travel industry, including meetings and events, develop and advance strategies for sustainability. 

With nearly 60 member entities to start, including major DMOs, hotel groups and industry organizations such as the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the Sustainable Travel Coalition will serve as an advisory body to inform U.S. Travel on sustainability issues, opportunities and concerns within member entities. A dedicated Policy Committee will help drive the broader coalition’s efforts to enable regular progress and collaboration.

The Sustainable Travel Coalition’s imperative incorporates domestic and international leisure travel, business travel and meetings and events, focusing on every touchpoint of each sector, including travel search and booking platforms, transportation, destinations, hotels, restaurants, meeting and event venues, cruises, sporting events and attractions and entertainment. 

The coalition’s long-term goals include:

  • Spotlighting industry progress by showcasing innovative technologies and calling attention to the ongoing actions and leadership of travel professionals in the sustainability space.
     
  • Amplifying industry goals and commitments to conservation, best practices, waste and emission reductions and both long- and short-term investments.
     
  • Highlighting why sustainability matters and the importance of it as a core to travel's future.
     
  • Playing offense by identifying and promoting proactive policies to help the industry achieve its goals.
     
  • Defending against harmful policies that slow progress toward sustainability goals or penalize the industry without progress.

“As technology advances and consumers demand more sustainable travel options, the work of this coalition will ensure that the U.S. travel industry can meet the needs of an evolving market while also protecting our planet’s natural resources,” said U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes.

Barnes added that sustainability is clearly an issue that spans well beyond the travel industry itself to practically all other areas of the U.S. economy.

“By bringing together stakeholders across related industries, we are aligning leaders in travel, transportation and technology on the critical issues that will affect their businesses for decades to come,” she said.

Calling on Congress

To accelerate investment in sustainable travel, more than 100 travel industry organizations, including groups within and outside the Sustainable Travel Coalition, sent a letter to the federal government to advance the following near-term priorities:

  • A tax credit for the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), such as those proposed in the Sustainable Skies Act.
     
  • An enhanced tax credit to increase the availability of electric vehicle charging stations.
     
  • An enhanced tax deduction to increase energy efficiency upgrades to commercial buildings, including hotels, convention centers and other event venues.
     
  • Federal investments to protect and restore natural attractions, including recreational waterways, shorelines and national parks.
     
  • Other clean energy incentives for investment in renewable energy deployment, green hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, direct air capture and other innovative technologies to lower the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and the power grid.

In addition to the priorities detailed in the letter, the coalition will identify and advocate for other priorities in the coming months.

Click here to learn more about the Sustainable Travel Coalition. Click here to see the industry sign-on letter.

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Partner Voices
Dallas already boasts 35,000 hotel rooms, award-winning global cuisine, and a walkable downtown. But we are just getting started. Visit Dallas is thrilled to announce that the city of Dallas is doubling down with a massive new convention center and entertainment district. Featuring 800,000 square feet of exhibit area, 260,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and 170,000 square feet of ballroom. The center will connect business travelers with dining and shopping options in the popular Cedars District means more places to get down to business, and even more ways to unwind. “Dallas is already a great meetings and conventions destination, with the accessibility of two major airports, affordable labor, and an outstanding hotel product,” said D. Bradley Kent, Visit Dallas senior vice president and chief sales officer. “The new center and Convention Center District will enhance Dallas’ competitive position and are exactly what our customers’ need and have been asking for." What’s New – AT&T Discovery District Located in the heart of Downtown Dallas, this new district on the AT&T corporate campus is tailor-made for groups of all sizes. It boasts a multi-sensory experience, including outdoor event space, the AT&T Theater, and multiple dining outlets including JAXON Beer Garden and The Exchange, a bustling food hall. Hotels Coming Soon Names like the JW Marriott (Downtown), lnterContinental Dallas (Uptown), and Hotel Swexan (Uptown) are adding luxury amenities and bountiful event spaces. The projects will debut in 2023 and beyond. JW Marriott This new, 15-story, 283-room hotel will open in the heart of the city’s downtown Arts District this year. The property features a 25,000-square-foot grand ballroom, as well as a spa, restaurant, lobby bar, fitness center, and a rooftop pool deck and bar. InterContinental Dallas  Located in Cityplace Tower in Uptown, InterContinental Dallas will feature sweeping panoramic views of the Dallas skyline. Guests will enjoy spacious, high-end rooms and amenities, including more than 21,000 square feet of event space.   Hotel Swexan Hotel Swexan, a new, 22-story luxury property, is rising in Uptown’s Harwood District and will make its mark on the Dallas skyline. Opening this year, it is a sculptural building with cantilevered upper floors, as well as a 75-foot rooftop infinity-edge swimming pool and a hidden underground lounge.