Travel leaders across the country welcomed the new administration today as Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States along with the first female Vice President, Kamala Harris.
But U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow and fellow colleagues acknowledged the obvious - no matter who is in office, this is a trying time for the travel industry.
"On behalf of America's travel and tourism industry, I congratulate President Biden and Vice President Harris on their inauguration and welcome their leadership in Washington," Dow said. "President Biden is acutely aware of the economic pain the pandemic has inflicted on our industry and its workforce, and we are encouraged by the administration's focus on providing additional, direct relief to businesses in the hardest-hit industries."
Biden has already said he will propose a $1.9 trillion dollar COVID-19 stimulus bill, which would be the third such relief package in less than a year. But while the first two bills included monies for the travel industry, including $42 billion for airlines, this one is more centric to increasing the vaccine distribution and assisting families and small businesses in need of income.
Dow noted that prior to the pandemic, travel supported one in 10 jobs in the U.S., a relevant part of the economy.
Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, also welcomed the new administration and addressed the stark reality.
"As an industry, we continue to face historically low occupancy rates, massive job loss, and record hotel closures. Our industry needs help to retain and rehire our associates, revive our local communities, and restart our economy," Rogers said. "While the vaccine rollout has begun, it will likely take months to widely distribute, and travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2023. We urge Congress and the new Administration to come together on a longer-term stimulus package that will ensure our industry survives so that the men and women who are the backbone and heart of hospitality can get back to work and unleash the power of the American dream."
Biden has already begun to make inroads with the industry. He promised to undo previous President Donald Trump's travel ban on 13 mostly Muslim countries with an executive order expected later today - a move welcomed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: "We commend President Biden for immediately moving to repeal the Muslim and African Bans, which is an important first step toward undoing the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant policies of the previous administration. It is an important fulfilment of a campaign pledge to the Muslim community and its allies. We expect the Biden administration to go further by supporting passage of the No Ban Act and addressing systemic injustices within the federal government that led to religious and racial profiling of Muslims and immigrants under multiple administrations. CAIR also welcomes the Biden Administration's move to preserve and fortify protections for Dreamers; inclusion of all persons - including the undocumented - in the U.S. census count; ordering the removal of barriers preventing minorities and underserved communities' access to federal programs and institutions; and other impactful executive orders."
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