U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s approval of the Restoring Brand USA Act (S. 2424), a bill to provide emergency funding to the United States’ destination marketing organization:

“As we look to rebuild the travel economy from the devastating effects of the pandemic, it’s no overstatement to say the work of Brand USA has never been more essential. Brand USA has a proven record of generating a significant return-on-investment, delivering economic benefits to both urban and rural regions.

“However, the steep declines in international travel have decimated Brand USA’s funding: International travel restrictions resulted in the loss of more than 1 million American jobs and $150 billion in export income last year alone. The emergency relief provided by the bill—which utilizes existing funds and comes at no additional cost to American taxpayers—will help bring back international visitors more quickly, shorten the recovery timeline and restore lost U.S. jobs.

“U.S. Travel applauds Senators Klobuchar and Blunt for their continued leadership on Brand USA. We also thank Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, Subcommittee Chair Rosen and Subcommittee Ranking Member Scott for supporting the bill and moving it quickly through the committee.”