The National Tour Association (NTA) recently listed a lifting of travel restrictions to Cuba as one of its eight priority advocacy issues for 2010. Other issues included hotel occupancy tax issues; U.S. entry and exit procedures, visa issuance and the expansion of the Visa Waiver Program; marketing grants for destination marketing organizations and nonprofit organizations; airline policies that impact sellers of travel; effective implementation of the Travel Promotion Act and the creation of a high-level travel/tourism presence; national parks and public lands access/marketing funds; and passage of highway and Federal Aviation Administration Authorization bills.
Last week, the NTA discussed these issues with elected officials during the 2010 Grassroots Symposium in Washington, D.C., which included featured remarks from Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), chief sponsor of the Travel Promotion Act and the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act.
“Based on legislation that can either impede or help our members’ business interests, the NTA board determines these priority issues to set the focus of the association’s government advocacy work for the coming year,” said NTA president Lisa Simon, CTP.
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