Travel advisors and suppliers represented all 50 states at ASTA's annual Legislative Day on June 21 in Washington, D.C.
In total, 225 participants spent the day meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill. They discussed issues important to the agency community, including priority inclusions for the FAA reauthorization bill and support for funding the position of assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism.
More than 200 meetings with members of Congress and their staff members were held.
"By showing Congress who we are, who we employ and that we are paying attention, the government will understand that travel advisors watch out for the traveling public," ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said in a release. "Legislative Day is the most important way to send that message."
ASTA members were asked to focus on several issues in their meetings, in addition to talking about the travel agency community as a whole.
First, they asked legislators to ensure ASTA's priorities are included in the final version of the FAA reauthorization bill. That includes clarification that a travel agency doesn't have to pay clients a refund to a canceled or significantly changed flight; adding a travel agency seat to the DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee; creating a streamlined system for disclosures when selling airline tickets "offline"; and flexibility as to how ancillary fee information is presented to consumers.
World Travel Service’s Alex Eaton (left) and ASTA’s Alannah Royal during ASTA Legislative Day 2023. Photo Credit: ASTA
Members also asked that legislators cosponsor the ACPAC Modernization Act, which creates the travel agency seat on the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee.
Travel advisors and suppliers also asked legislators to support the funding for the office of assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism. The Visit America Act was passed in late 2022 to establish that position within the Department of Commerce, but it was passed without the funding for the position.
According to ASTA, the Biden administration earlier this year requested $3.5 million to fund the offices as part of its fiscal year 2024 appropriations request.
"Policymaking is a marathon, not a sprint," ASTA's executive vice president of advocacy Eben Peck said. "Our goal is to raise awareness about the critical role travel advisors play in the broader travel and tourism industry, and to secure support from as many legislators as possible for policies that will help our members' business recover post-Covid.
"Legislative Day," he added, "is the most impactful thing our members can do to help make that happen."