The U.S. Travel Association hosted its Destination Capitol Hill event in Washington, DC this week.
The two-day fly-in event saw nearly 400 U.S. Travel members and industry advocates representing 49 states meet with powerful members of Congress to advocate for key policy changes shaping the future of travel.
Among the asks for lawmakers this spring included cosponsoring and passing legislation to ensure air traffic controllers and TSA officers are paid during funding lapses to prevent the chaos experienced last month.
U.S. Travel members also pushed for Congress to halt proposed changes to the ESTA application and delay or limit the proposed Visa Integrity Fee and to cosponsor the VISIT USA Act, which would transfer $160 million in surplus Travel Promotion Funds to Brand USA.
This would help increase visitation to the U.S. for major upcoming events and restore the country's lost share of international visitors.
"America saw that travel is much more than just getting from point A to point B during the government shutdowns, and we’ll see it again with the impact America 250, the World Cup and the Olympics will bring to every corner of our country," U.S. Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement.
"But we still have work to do to capture these opportunities."
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stands with HHS Secretary Kennedy to promote Farmer's Fridge and other healthy airport food options. (Photo Credit: US Department of Transportation)
U.S. Travel's Destination Capitol Hill event also included a handful of award presentations, with officials recognizing travel champions and heroes for 2026.
- Secretary Sean Duffy received the 2026 Travel Champion Award for strengthening safety and security and preparing U.S. infrastructure to support economic growth and major global events.
- Congressman Mark Amodei received the Distinguished Leadership Award for his 15 years of dedicated service in Congress and unwavering support of the U.S. travel industry.
- Senator Amy Klobuchar received the Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of 20 years of leadership in the U.S. Senate and invaluable contributions to the growth and vitality of America’s travel industry as co-chair of the Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus and a longtime champion of Brand USA.
- Air Traffic Controllers received the Travel Hero Award for continuing to ensure the safety of air travel without pay during the 43-day government shutdown in 2025.
- TSA officers received the Travel Hero Award for continuing to protect the nation’s aviation system without pay during two record-breaking funding lapses.
"Sec. Duffy, Sen. Klobuchar, and Rep. Amodei are leading the way, ensuring that we modernize our travel infrastructure, strengthen aviation security and improve the traveler experience to keep the U.S. globally competitive," added Freeman.
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