U.S. Travel Sets Future-Forward Recovery Plan, With Business Travel and Events Top-of-Mind

February 15, 2022

U.S. Travel Association leaders outlined a path forward during the organization’s annual State of the Industry Address on Feb. 2, which highlighted the progress made since March 2020, while emphasizing critical areas of importance to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels—including business travel and face-to-face events.

“The worst of the pandemic is truly behind us, but there is a lot of work ahead,” said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow, underscoring the $730 billion in cumulative travel spending losses since the pandemic began.

While the domestic leisure travel segment has largely recovered with the surge in demand after the deployment of vaccines last year, business travel and professional meetings and events, in addition to international inbound travel, are lagging behind, according to Dow.

“Business travel makes up a significant portion of the overall travel economy—without it, we cannot fully recover,” he said. “And international inbound travel is a necessity for a complete and even recovery of the U.S. travel economy.”

Economists estimate that domestic business travel and international inbound travel may not fully recover until 2024, according to Dow.

“We should not singularly view the pandemic as a setback but as an opportunity to reimagine this industry to be stronger than before,” he added.

Robust Plan for Growth and Recovery

U.S. Travel’s strategy to look beyond the pandemic and ensure the growth and even recovery across all segments of the industry includes the following initiatives:

  • Strengthening the travel workforce and restoring millions of lost jobs
     
  • Creating a more seamless and secure travel experience
     
  • Shaping the future of travel mobility 
     
  • Focusing on sustainability to grow the industry responsibly 
     
  • Focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry
     
  • Continuing to rebuild international inbound travel, business travel and professional meetings and events  

Dow outlined short-term priorities that the U.S. Congress and the Biden Administration should act upon immediately. The initiatives include the passage of the Restoring Brand USA Act, which would provide emergency relief funding and be especially important in rebuilding global market share following the steep pandemic setback in inbound travel; providing targeted temporary tax credits and deductions to stimulate spending on business travel, live entertainment and in-person events; and providing additional funding for relief grants to the most severely impacted travel businesses.

“We are also calling on business leaders to take a real look at the importance of business travel to productivity and success, as well as opportunities that come from meeting face-to-face, getting deals done and the value employees place on being able to get together in person,” Dow said, calling attention to the association’s Let’s Meet There initiative.

Meanwhile, U.S. Travel Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes offered remarks on the future of a rapidly evolving travel industry and keeping business travel and events top-of-mind in the overall strategy.

“We have strengthened our relationships with industry-leading coalitions, including the Meetings Mean Business coalition, which is now fully integrated into U.S. Travel,” Barnes said.

She emphasized the importance of continuing to promote the fact that in-person meetings and events are being held safely in destinations throughout the U.S.

“We just went through a paid media campaign with our Let’s Meet There coalition that was really targeted at business leaders across the country who are making decisions on whether or not their employees can travel,” Barnes said. “We'll also be highlighting Global Meetings Industry Day, which will take place on April 7, and we'll be doing a roundtable with elected leaders on that day as well.”

In other aspects of U.S. Travel’s plan for the future, Barnes said it forged a partnership with Tourism Diversity Matters as part of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative to create an industry that works for and benefits everyone.

“But the future of our association and our industry depends on our ability to grow, diversify and support sustainably,” she added.

With that in mind, Barnes pointed to U.S. Travel initiatives such as The Future of Travel Mobility program, which was held in Washington, D.C., last October. The event brought industry leaders together to focus on the intersection of travel, transportation and technology, with conversations around sustainability, seamless and secure travel and innovative and emerging travel technologies such as the hyperloop and high-speed rail, as well as improving the nation's airports.

“U.S. Travel is working to ensure the federal government moves quickly to facilitate the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels, and perhaps most importantly, given the majority of trips are taken by car, it is imperative that we ensure electric vehicle infrastructure is deployed,” she said. “This is crucial to growing our industry and protecting the planet while also keeping customers at the forefront.”

The recovery of the industry overall, particularly as it relates to the U.S. economy, depends on U.S. Travel’s vision and strategy, Barnes added.

“We must not only continue to engage on these issues, but we will [also] lead on these priorities, which will strengthen our industry as we speak with one voice to restore the backbone of our nation's economy to its pre-pandemic highs and beyond,” she said.

Photo: U.S. Travel Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? 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There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. 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Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.