US Travel Association: Total travel spending to drop 45% by end of 2020

US Travel Association reported (17-Jun-2020) it expects total travel spending in the US to fall 45% by the end of 2020. US Travel Association EVP for public affairs and policy Tori Emerson Barnes stated: "Our asks for lawmakers are substantial, but they're also simple: we need relief, protection, and stimulus for the travel industry to make it past the worst of the crisis and help power an economic recovery". Domestic trips taken by US residents are anticipated to drop 30% year-on-year to 1.6 billion, the lowest figure since 1991, while domestic travel spending is projected to drop 40% from USD972 billion in 2019 to USD538 billion in 2020. Additionally, international inbound spending is expected to fall 75% from USD155 billion in 2019 to USD39 billion in 2020. "Given that travel employed one in 10 Americans and was the No. 2 US export before the pandemic, supporting this industry through to the recovery phase ought to be a national priority", Ms Barnes noted. [more - original PR]