U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the Senate’s confirmation of Katherine Tai to serve as U.S. Trade Representative:
“Katherine Tai brings strong expertise and experience to the post of U.S. Trade Representative at a time when promoting U.S. exports will be crucial to the rebuilding of the economy as the country emerges from the pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic, travel and tourism was the No. 1 U.S. services export, and No. 2 industry export overall—generating a $51 billion trade surplus for the U.S. economy in 2019. Rebuilding international visitation to the U.S. should be a top economic priority, and we are eager to work with U.S. Trade Representative Tai and the rest of the Biden administration to safely reopen international travel and unlock its tremendous potential as a positive contributor to the U.S. trade balance.”
U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry. In 2020, travel generated $1.5 trillion in economic output and supported 11 million jobs, a drastic decline from pre-pandemic figures. U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for information and recovery-related data.
