Klobuchar, Blunt, Cortez Masto, Cramer Urge U.S. Department of Commerce to Help Travel and Tourism Industry and Workforce Following the Pandemic

Press Release

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chairs of the Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting information on actions the Department is taking to ensure the travel and tourism industry's full economic recovery following the pandemic.

The Senators emphasized that the travel and tourism industry has been hit especially hard by the pandemic, writing: "Recent reports estimate that travel spending in the U.S. has declined by nearly $500 billion since 2019, with a loss of nearly one million travel-related jobs since last February. Behind statistics like this are thousands of tourism workers and restaurants, hotels, small businesses, in the travel and tourism industry struggling to make ends meet."

The Senators also noted reports found a nearly 80 percent decrease in international visitors since the pandemic began. They also emphasized the need to provide Brand USA, a public-private partnership to encourage travelers to visit America and a "proven means to boost tourism and the U.S. economy," with additional resources so it can assist the travel and tourism industry in its recovery.

Klobuchar has remained committed to providing support for the travel and tourism industry throughout the pandemic. In February, she and Blunt introduced the Protecting Tourism in the United States Act to improve tourism across the country by studying the effects of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry and identifying key policy recommendations. This bipartisan legislation builds upon Klobuchar and Blunt's efforts to support the travel and tourism industry and workforce, including securing the reauthorization of Brand USA through 2027. The program, which was established under the bipartisan Travel Promotion Act of 2009, brings in millions of additional international visitors to the U.S. each year at zero cost to taxpayers.

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