Travel Industry Welcomes Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on Senate confirmation of Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation:

“The Department of Transportation will play a pivotal role in safely restarting domestic and international air travel, and Secretary Buttigieg’s pragmatic approach to transportation policy will ensure we can do it in a way that protects public health and ensures economic growth can safely resume.

“As a former mayor, Buttigieg brings priority-based thinking to transportation investment, which will be valuable since travel and tourism has been hit by far the hardest of any U.S. industry by the fallout of the pandemic. Now is the time to prioritize investments in projects that will accelerate recovery, usher in the future of mobility, and ensure the travel industry is globally competitive.

“Travel and tourism lost $500 billion and 4.5 million jobs as travel ground to a halt last year, and our industry looks forward to working with Buttigieg to facilitate a strong comeback. We thank the Senate for the swift consideration of his nomination so that this important work can begin.”