U.S. Travel Praises Confirmation of Interior Secretary Haaland

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on Senate confirmation of Secretary Deb Haaland to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior:

“National parks and public lands have grown in their importance as popular travel and recreation destinations during the pandemic, and Secretary Haaland will bring strong leadership to the federal agency that oversees them.

“As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Secretary Haaland was instrumental in enacting the Great American Outdoors Act, which made vital investments in the maintenance of national parks and public lands to protect access and recreation. 

“National parks welcomed 327 million visitors who spent $42 billion and supported 340,000 American jobs in 2019. We look forward to working with Secretary Haaland and the Department of the Interior to preserve national parks and public lands both as vital elements of the country’s cultural and geographic heritage and as crucial drivers of the U.S. travel economy.”