BUSINESS NEWS


Roger Dow: ‘I will look back with a feeling we made a real difference’


Outgoing USTA leader hails bipartisan support


Roger Dow reflects on industry’s resilience and growth. Robin Searle reports “I’m not a Pollyanna, I am a


The outgoing chief executive of the US Travel Association has credited the industry’s ability to generate bipartisan support for its successes during his tenure. Speaking as he stepped down at


the IPW conference in Orlando last month, Roger Dow identified the formation and reauthorisation of Brand USA and the recent procurement of $250 million in emergency funding for the national marketing body as two of his most significant achievements during his 17 years at the helm. He also insisted he remained


56 7 JULY 2022


confident for the future of international travel to the US despite ongoing concerns over the impact of the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and perceptions of safety of America as a safe destination. “This is the 53rd IPW but in many


ways I see it as the first,” he told Travel Weekly. “This is the IPW that says we are back in business.” He added: “My outlook is


extremely positive. The economists are projecting a recovery by 2024 or 2025 but I truly believe this industry will be back in 2023.


realist. I am basing my outlook on the experience of 9/11, when people said no one was going to travel, and we then saw years of record visitor numbers; and the 2008 crash, when people said 30% of hotels would never reopen but they did. “This is a resilient industry, both


leisure and business.” Looking back to the start of his time with the USTA, Dow said his


Continued on page 54 travelweekly.co.uk


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