NCF Travel and Tourism Summit - opening remarks by U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue

On: NCF Travel and Tourism Summit - opening remarks
To: NCF Travel and Tourism Summit attendees 
From: Thomas J. Donohue
Dates: May 12, 2004
 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
May 12, 2004

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I'm Tom Donohue, the Chamber's president and CEO, and I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to kick off this event.

The organizations and individuals gathered in this room represent virtually every sector of the travel and tourism industry. Together, you represent a significant portion of the U.S. economy.

I'd like to start by thanking our summit co-chair and partner, Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels and chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable. No single individual has done more to promote this industry.

I'd also like to thank our sponsors—too numerous to name—for their efforts in making this event possible. They are listed next to me.

The Chamber is sponsoring this event because travel and tourism is an indispensable ingredient to our overall economic health. Few, if any, industries generate jobs and commerce like this one.

One out of every eight people in the U.S. private-sector workforce is employed directly or indirectly in travel and tourism related jobs.

The industry contributes nearly $100 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments.

Travel and tourism-generated funds are critical for providing essential services such as health care, education, and transportation system improvements.

Finally, because international travelers spend more money in the U.S. than American travelers do abroad, the U.S. travel and tourism industry is one of very few that generates a multi-billion dollar trade surplus.

International and domestic travelers combined spend $1.5 billion a day in the U.S.

However, the industry is struggling to overcome significant challenges presented by continuing economic uncertainty and the war against terrorism.

The impending biometric passport requirements, entry/exit systems, delays in visa processing, and other security measures can make travel to the U.S. more hassle than it's worth.

Foreign travelers are deciding to take their vacations, business, and their money elsewhere, and it's hurting shopping centers, hotels, restaurants, museums, theme parks, rental car agencies and other travel and tourism-related organizations.

Here at home, lingering fears of terrorism and economic uncertainty continue to disrupt domestic travel plans, which in turn have slowed our economic recovery.

The inaugural Travel and Tourism Summit held here last year brought national attention to these issues and perhaps even contributed to what are encouraging recent trends.

International arrivals have increased the past two quarters and more Americans feel comfortable traveling domestically again.

But clearly, we need to take the next step. This is why the National Chamber Foundation and U.S Chamber of Commerce are working with America's leading travel and tourism organizations to build grassroots support for this critical industry.

Through this initiative, which is called Travel and Tourism Across America, we will promote travel to and within the United States and work to facilitate mobility even as we continue to enhance security.

We will work to make travel easier, especially for incoming foreign travelers who come here for leisure, to do business, to study, or to conduct research.

And we will help the effort to restore full confidence in travel among the American people, many of whom are either still a little jittery from 9/11 or unwilling to put up with the hassle factor.

This will not be a Washington-based initiative. Instead, it will consist of a series of roundtables and other grassroots events that spread the message and connect local business leaders with their respective local, state, and federal representatives.

Your presence here today speaks loudly and clearly—you're willing to work together to tackle these mutual challenges, and the Chamber is willing to work with you.

To help spread our message, we've put together a video that highlights the importance of travel and tourism to our economy and outlines the key challenges surrounding travel to and within the United States.

We will distribute this video to the media, business leaders, and local, state, and federal officials so that they can appreciate – in just three minutes – this industry's many contributions and the challenges it faces.

I'd like to share the video with you now.

[Video rolls for 3 minutes]

I'd now like to introduce someone who is no stranger to you – Jonathan Tisch is chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels and chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable, a prominent coalition of chief executives representing various sectors of the travel and tourism industry.

As Chairman of NYC & Company, New York City's convention and visitors bureau, Jonathan led efforts to rebuild that city in the aftermath of September 11th.

In recognition of his leadership and civic involvement, Jonathan was named by Crain's New York Business as one of the top ten most influential business leaders.

His awards, media appearances, and community and philanthropic activities are far too numerous to name here.

Please join me in welcoming Jonathan Tisch.