Sunshine Matters

While in Washington, D.C. for the Connecting America Through Travel conference and the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors meeting, I was privileged today to have the opportunity to meet with Congressman Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative for Florida’s 12th Congressional District, and Patricia Rojas-Ungár, Vice President of Government Relations for the U.S. Travel Association.

Rep. Bilirakis was recently named co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus for the 113th Congress.  The mission of the caucus is to support and develop national policy that promotes domestic tourism and international travel to the United States.  Founded in 1979, the caucus, which has almost 100 members, works to develop and support legislation that promotes the nation’s travel and tourism industry, as well as fosters communication between lawmakers and travel leaders.

“The tourism and travel industry is Florida’s chief economic driver,” said Bilirakis. “As our economy looks to rebound, the travel and tourism sectors provide a great opportunity for American growth and prosperity, and I look forward to working with my good friend, Congressman Farr (of California), to help promote tourism both at home and abroad.”

Rep. Bilirakis has been a huge supporter of Florida tourism and, in his new role, will be instrumental in helping pass the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel or JOLT Act and the re-authorization of Brand USA.   The JOLT Act is bipartisan legislation that would leverage the benefits of inbound international travel to the United States to increase economic growth, create more jobs, generate additional tax revenue and boost U.S. exports.  The Act would modernize and expand the Visa Waiver Program, facilitate the use of secure videoconferencing, reduce visa wait times and expand the highly successful Global Entry Program.

Rep. Bilirakis and I authored a joint letter titled “Florida’s Vibrant Travel and Tourism Industry” that appeared as a Special Commentary for the Tampa Tribune back in September.  To view the article, please click here.

As you can see, Gus Bilirakis is a tireless champion for tourism and I would like to thank him for his leadership and support of Florida’s No. 1 industry.