By Tom McClimon
May 13, 2002

Meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 7-8, the chief executive officers from major national and international travel and tourism firms an organizations set their priorities for the upcoming year. The Conference of Mayors recently became a member of the Travel Business Roundtable (TBR). Conference Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran serves on TRB's executive committee. Others members include American Express Company, JetBlue Airways, Universal, National Restaurant Association, and International Convention and Visitors Bureaus. Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loews Hotels serves as TRB's Chairman.

High on the list of national priorities is the establishment of a Presidential Advisory Council on Travel and Tourism that would foster national tourism policy developments and coordination within the federal government and help raise the awareness of the economic importance of the travel and tourism industry. The TRB also favors funding of an international destination marketing campaign that would help create a national identity for the U.S. as a premier travel destination.

As part of their program, the TRB members heard from a number of nationally-recognized persons including Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to President Bush, John Magaw, Under Secretary of Transportation for Security and Director of the Transportation Security Administration, Linda Conlin, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development, and Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Nevada Senator Harry Reid, Assistant Senate Majority Leader, was given the Travel and Tourism Leadership for his work in Congress in support of the travel and tourism industry.

Travel and Tourism QuickFacts

• Travel and tourism will generate $1.34 trillion of economic activity in the U.S. this year and $2.47 trillion by the year 2012.
• Travel and tourism are responsible for 16,387,400 jobs or 12.1% of total U.S. employment.
• In 2000, travel and tourism produced an estimated $99.5 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments.

Sources: World Travel & Tourism Council and the Travel Business Roundtable