Blunt to co-chair congressional travel and tourism caucus

WASHINGTON, DC – Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt will join Rep. Sam Farr (D-California) as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus for the 111th Congress.

WASHINGTON, DC – Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt will join Rep. Sam Farr (D-California) as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus for the 111th Congress.

“Tourism helps drive the economy of our nation and plays a vital role in Southwest Missouri,” Blunt said. “I’m looking forward to working with Congressman Farr and the rest of the caucus to draw attention to the economic benefits of this industry and promote its growth here in Missouri.”

Blunt previously served as an active member of the caucus and has co-sponsored several bills supporting the travel industry. Travel-related industries in Southwest Missouri contribute $1.2 billion to the economy and employ over 13,000 people.

“I’m very excited to have Congressman Blunt join me in leading this caucus,” Farr said. “The travel industry is so important for both our districts, and the efforts of the caucus will be even more important as we work to help communities across America recover from the slowing economy.”

The caucus, which had more than 100 members at the close of the 110th Congress, works closely with the travel industry to support legislation and foster communication between lawmakers and travel leaders. In 2007, the US Travel Association estimated that the travel industry contributed US$740 billion to the economy and employed 7.7 million people nationwide.

The caucus was busy last year, supporting two key travel promotion bills and hosting a roundtable with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Commerce, House leadership from both parties, and more than a dozen top travel executives.

Farr served as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus during the last Congress. His district on California’s Central Coast encompasses the Monterey Bay, where the US$2 billion travel industry is second only to agriculture.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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