U.S. Travel Industry to Add 90,000 American Jobs in 2010

Modest Increases in Travel Volume, Spending Demonstrate Industry's Unique
Ability to Quickly Create Employment Opportunities

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Travel Association
today announced that projected modest 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 2.0 percent, business travel
is projected to increase by 2.5 percent and international inbound travel will
increase by nearly 3.0 percent. These job gains come on the heels of 400,000
combined travel industry job losses in 2008 and 2009.

"The travel industry shares President Obama's goal of putting Americans back
to work. Our industry is uniquely capable of adapting to economic upswings and
quickly adding tens of thousands of jobs," said Roger Dow, president and CEO
of the U.S. Travel Association. "What we announce today is based upon modest
increases in travel. Given its immense potential, we call on the
Administration and Members of Congress to build a plan for economic recovery
that drives significant increases in travel."

A 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 Travel Overview
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.

"Projected growth in leisure travel is an indicator of rising consumer
confidence and disposable income," said Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice
president of research for the U.S. Travel Association. "Following a difficult
2009, businesses have a heightened focus on the value and bottom-line benefits
of travel. We expect to see a slight increase in business travel next year
based in part on pent-up demand for face-to-face meetings that drive growth
and productivity."

International Inbound Travel
International inbound travel will increase nearly 3.0 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 versus 26.0 million, respectively). 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.

The U.S. Travel Association's industry forecast can be viewed here. The
current Travel Price Index can be viewed here.

The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization
representing all components of the $770 billion travel industry. U.S. Travel's
mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United
States. For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.

For updates, follow us on Twitter @ustravelpr.

SOURCE U.S. Travel Association

Cathy Keefe, +1-202-408-2183, ckeefe@ustravel.org, or Kristy Chandler,
+1-202-408-2172, kchandler@ustravel.org, both of U.S. Travel Association