01/19/2018

ASAE Joins Visit U.S. Coalition

The coalition aims to reverse the decline in international travel

ASAE has joined the U.S. Travel Association and other pro-travel groups to launch the Visit U.S. Coalition, whose aim is to work with the administration to reverse the decline in international travel to the U.S.

Research prepared by U.S. Travel shows that while global travel has increased 7.9 percent from 2015 to 2017, the U.S. market share has fallen from 13.6 percent to 11.9 percent over the same period. That decline in international travel resulted in a loss of $32.2 billion in visitor spending and 100,000 hospitality jobs.

The U.S. is one of only two destinations in the top dozen global markets to see a decline in inbound travel since 2015, according to U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “America is the best country in the world to visit, but we’re losing the competition for international travelers and the dollars they spend when they come here,” Dow said.

In the coming weeks, the Visit U.S. Coalition will work to advance policy recommendations aimed at reversing the decline in inbound travel to the U.S. Other founding members of the Visit U.S. Coalition include the American Gaming Association; American Hotel & Lodging Association; Asian American Hotel Owners Association; International Association of Exhibitions and Events; National Restaurant Association; National Retail Federation; Society of Independent Show Organizers; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“ASAE is proud to join U.S. Travel and other like-minded associations that are concerned about the decline in international travel to the United States,” said ASAE President and CEO John Graham, FASAE, CAE. “It’s in our common interest to work with our association colleagues and policymakers to reverse this downward trajectory. We understand and support the need for security, but we also need to better communicate that America is a welcoming destination for international visitors.”

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.