U.S. Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman presented a vision of travel as a national priority.
Speaking at U.S. Travel’s IPW, Freeman said there are several goals that need to be reached, such as improving visa wait times, and boosting the air traffic control system.
“Achieving travel growth will require a sustained focus by government and industry to address frictions and improve the process for travelers,” he said.
“It should be our national goal to be nothing short of number one in terms of visitor arrivals, visitor spend and visitor experience.”
The 55th annual IPW is being held until today at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
IPW helps drive more than $5.5 billion in economic impact in future travel to the U.S.
Freeman pointed to a decade of opportunity ahead as the United States prepares to welcome millions of new travelers to major events, such as Copa America this summer, the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th celebration in 2026, plus the Summer Olympics in in 2028.
Freeman was joined by a panel of the Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel, including co-chair Kevin McAleenan, former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Patty Cogswell, former Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.
They discussed creating a more efficient, secure and modern travel system for the U.S.
This year’s IPW saw a 20% increase in attendance over 2023’s event.
However, total inbound visitation to the U.S. remained at just 84% recovered of 2019 levels.
The 56th IPW will be held in Chicago from June 14-18, 2025.
