Friday, August 30, 2024 Congressman Scott Peters joined over 20 San Diego leaders at the U.S. Travel Association’s ‘Travel Works for America’ event, highlighting travel’s local impact.
The U.S. Travel Association hosted a “Travel Works for America” Power Hour featuring Congressman Scott Peters, joined by over 20 travel and business leaders from the San Diego area.
This event, held at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, showcased the significant effect of travel on the local community and businesses. The Power Hour agenda covered several crucial issues, including the urgent need to reduce wait times for U.S.
visitor visas—particularly for first-time applicants, where the average wait exceeds 280 days in key visa-requiring markets. Another priority was decreasing wait times for travelers at U.S.
Customs at major gateway airports. Participants also stressed the importance of permanently expanding the H-2B worker visa program to support small and seasonal businesses reliant on temporary staff. They highlighted the advantages of adopting advanced facial recognition technology at TSA checkpoints to streamline the travel experience.
Additionally, discussions included securing full funding for the new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism position, exploring opportunities for travel infrastructure modernization through a significant new bill, and reinforcing the role of Brand USA, the official U.S. destination marketing organization.
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