U.S. Travel Industry to Add 90,000 American Jobs in 2010
The U.S. Travel Association said that modest projected 2010 increases in leisure, business and international inbound travel will enable the industry to add nearly 90,000 American jobs.
Leisure travel is expected to rise 2 percent, business travel is projected to increase by 2.5 percent and international inbound travel will increase by nearly 3 percent. These job gains come on the heels of 400,000 combined travel industry job losses in 2008 and 2009.
The USTA said that federal economic recovery plan to significantly increase travel and create jobs would include passage of the Travel Promotion Act to encourage millions of travelers to visit the United States; improvements in the visa and entry processes that have largely driven the decline in overseas travel to the United States post-9/11; funding for a “NextGen” air traffic control system that will limit flight delays, cancellations and negative impact on the environment; and encouragement of meetings, events and incentive programs through tax deductions and other mechanisms.
The travel industry employs 7.7 million Americans, supporting out of every eight non-farm jobs in the United States. Domestic leisure travel is expected to increase 2 percent in 2010, with a corresponding increase in leisure travel spending of nearly 5 percent.
Domestic business travel volume will grow 2.5 percent next year and business travel spending will increase 4 percent. International inbound travel will increase nearly 3 percent in 2010; however, growth in overseas travel (excluding Canada and Mexico) will remain stable at about 1 percent.
Overseas travel visitation in 2010 will remain below 2000 levels (23.5 million in 2010 versus 26 million in 2000). The concern about the lack of substantial growth next year from this market is that overseas travelers contribute significantly more to the U.S. economy, spending an average of $4,500 per person, per trip compared to about $900 per person, per trip for Canadian and Mexican travelers.
