Dear Mr. President — Your Policies Could Make or Break the Travel Industry
Photo Credit: The White House South Lawn in September 17, 2012. Presidential policies could make or break the U.S. travel industry and the wider economy. Flickr.com / Prayitno
Skift Take
Presidential policies and tone can go a long way toward making or breaking the U.S. travel industry. The president has to balance all parts of the economy and the needs of the country's citizens, but pumping up the travel industry because of its vast economic impact would go a long way toward wider economic recovery.
Dear Mr. President,
Whoever you turn about to be — with boxes of mail-in ballots still to be opened as of this writing — your policy decisions can make or break the near-term future of travel, and the status of that impactful industry will influence the trajectory of your fortunes.
The following are major areas you'll need to tackle:
Control the Damn Virus
The prospect of taking a long-haul flight or staying at an urban hotel chain will be the stuff of nostalgia for many years unless the President makes a serious effort to fight the pandemic. A lot of this is about trust; U.S. travelers won't take a business trip to Europe if they think they'll get sick on the plane or in an airport. Hotel recovery? Forget about it until hospitality workers and guests don't fear interacting in the lobby.
It should go without saying — but it needs to be emphasized — there will be no return to "normal" or economic vibrancy, whether on Maple Avenue or Wall Street — if you don't ta
