2024 USTOA Congressional Caucus

The Best Father’s Day Present

This is a special week as I’m writing this from Washington D.C., just 5 blocks from Capitol Hill. I remember visiting our nation’s capital with my family. We toured the White House, stood where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, and where I read Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. It wasn’t until I got to Capitol Hill that I started thinking back to all those American history classes and all the lectures in college about the U.S. government. I would wonder what it was like to go to the hill after hearing it countless times on shows like “The West Wing”.

Fast forward to today, and I had the honor to participate in the USTOA Congressional Caucus on Capitol Hill to discuss specific bills pertaining to our industry, from DOT legislation to sustainable aviation fuel and everything in between. Much of the conversation focused on the unintended consequences of some of the legislation. While great work is being done to accurately measure the true contribution of tourism to GDP, so much more is needed. This close to election day, I have to say, I was shocked at the flurry of activity. The halls were as crowded as a high school hallway between classes.

What isn’t lost on me is writing this just a few days before Father’s Day in the U.S., my first without my father. I felt his presence today, and I am sure he was wondering the same thing I was as he watched me walk through the halls of that building….

How many stairs does this place have?!

Enjoy this week’s video, which is a personal message just as I was leaving Capitol Hill.