More
than 300 travel and tourism professionals from 45 states paid
hundreds of visits to U.S. senators and representatives—covering
more than half of Congress—during Destination: Capitol Hill last
week in Washington, D.C.
This
legislative fly-in, organized by the U.S. Travel Association along
with NTA, the Southeast Tourism Society and the Destination Marketing
Association International, combined advocacy with education.
“What
a fabulous event in the nation’s capital,” said Tom Jaffa of
Jaffa Travel & Receptive Services in Seattle, who chairs the NTA
Government Relations Committee. “In my nearly 20 years of
congressional visits on behalf of NTA and our industry, this was one
of the best set of visits I have experienced. Our team visited with
every Washington state congressional office, and we are already
seeing results.”
DMAI
board chair Greg Edwards also rated the two-day event a success.
“Destination: Capitol Hill really showed unity from all travel
partners, including corporate, destination marketing organizations,
travel-related associations and state tourism offices,” said
Edwards, who also serves as president of the Greater Des Moines
Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I believe we made solid points
about the opportunities to strengthen the U.S. travel industry.”
Prior
to visiting legislators, 100-plus NTA members participated in
educational sessions with elected officials, leaders from federal
agencies and tourism associations, and seasoned lobbyists, all
discussing tourism issues. The sessions prepared participants for
meetings with their senators and representatives, said Patti Culp,
executive director of the Alabama Travel Council and recipient of
NTA’s James D. Santini Award for long-term commitment to advocacy.
“Our
congressional leaders learned from us the issues we support,” said
Culp. “We encouraged them to ramp up their involvement in the
implementation of crucial measures.”
NTA’s
legislative priorities center on ways to increase tourism by easing
restrictions on international travelers, continuing U.S.-inbound
marketing efforts and improving the nation’s transportation
infrastructure.
While
in Washington, several NTA tour operators and leaders joined with the
United Motorcoach Association and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration for a Motorcoach Safety Roundtable. “Our session led
to several initiatives that will help FMCSA educate tour operators
and make motorcoach transportation safer, which is NTA’s focus,”
said Lisa Simon, NTA president. “We look forward to working further
with FMCSA and UMA to develop and promote these ideas.”
