the April 2009 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

News
Travel Execs Win Obama’s Support at White House Meeting
By Hil Anderson, senior editor
Washington, DC – A delegation of
travel industry executives met with
President Obama in March to firm up the
administration’s support for tourism and
business travel and came away convinced
he was on the right page.
“The travel community has an ally
in President Obama and we appreciate
the leadership he intends to bring to
increasing travel to, and within, the United
States,” said Roger Dow, president and
CEO of the U.S. Travel Association
(USTA), after the March 11 meeting at the
White House.
Dow was part of a 12-member
delegation of executives that included
Colin Reed, chairman and CEO of
Gaylord Entertainment, and Jonathan
Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews
Hotels and chairman emeritus of the
USTA.
“Travel will play a critical role in driving
America’s economic recovery,” Tisch said.
“We are pleased to have the support of
President Obama and his team.”
A major item on the agenda was
the need for Congress to promptly pass
the Travel Promotion Act, which would
create and fund a not-for-profit group
that would promote travel to the U.S.
and provide information for visitors as
they navigate the visa process. The red
tape involved in obtaining a visa for
international attendees and exhibitors has
been a long-running headache for U.S.
trade show organizers.
The USTA has been at the forefront
of the industry response to the president’s
now-infamous remark at a town hall
meeting last month that employees of
companies receiving Federal financial
assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief
Program (TARP) “can’t go take a trip to
Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl
on the taxpayer’s dime.”
The statement irked not only Las Vegas
but the entire meetings and exhibition
industry. It was seen as a warning that
business travel was now being considered
an unnecessary extravagance that should be
scaled back even by companies that were
not receiving Federal funds. The industry
The President’s Ear. President Obama (right, second from bottom) listens as members of a delegation
led by the U.S. Travel Association urge the White House to support travel to events. The delegation was
convinced Obama had no desire to crimp business travel.
has responded with a public relations
campaign reminding lawmakers and the
media that the travel industry in general
provides jobs and that business travel in
particular is a necessary activity to maintain
the economy.
At the March 12 White House press
briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
said Obama never intended to criticize
travel in general. “The president believes
it’s important to have a strong tourism
industry and that it’s important, as he said
late last week, that we shouldn’t retrench
or pull back; that he would encourage
people to travel.”
The delegation led by the USTA also
included: Jim Abrahamson, president,
the Americas, IHG; Jim Atchison,
president and COO, Busch Entertainment
Corp.; Jeff Clarke, CEO and president,
Travelport; Howard Frank, vice chairman
and COO, Carnival Corporation & plc;
Barney Harford, president and CEO,
Orbitz Worldwide; W. Stephen Maritz,
chairman and CEO, Maritz Holdings Inc;
Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO, Marriott
International, Inc.; Jay Rasulo, chairman,
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Frits van
Paasschen, president and CEO, Starwood
Hotels and Resorts; and Tom Williams,
chairman and CEO, Universal Parks and
Resorts.
Reach Roger Dow at (202) 408-8422
or rdow@ustravel.org
Presidential Meeting Participants
• Roger Dow, President & CEO, U.S.
Travel Association
• Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman & CEO,
Loews Hotels; Chairman Emeritus,
U.S. Travel Association
• Jim Abrahamson, President, the
Americas, IHG
• Jim Atchison, President & COO,
Busch Entertainment Corp.
• Jeff Clarke, President & CEO,
Travelport
• Howard Frank, Vice Chairman &
COO, Carnival Corporation & plc
• Barney Harford, President & CEO,
Orbitz Worldwide
• W. Stephen Maritz, Chairman & CEO,
Maritz Holdings Inc.
• Bill Marriott, Chairman & CEO,
Marriott International, Inc.
• Frits van Paasschen, President, CEO
& Director, Starwood Hotels and
Resorts
• Jay Rasulo, Chairman, Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts
• Colin Reed, Chairman & CEO,
Gaylord Entertainment
• Tom Williams, Chairman & CEO,
Universal Parks and Resorts
Continued on page 10
8 April 2009 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com