The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) - the largest association of business travel professionals - sent a letter to Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner urging the agency to work with the travel industry to set guidelines for managed travel of companies that received government assistance.

Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, NBTA President & CEO, said in the letter:

NBTA and the greater business travel community believe restricting travel will only perpetuate the harm on our nation’s economy.  U.S. business travel had a positive GDP impact of $208 billion, created 3.3 million U.S. jobs, generated $82 billion in tax revenue for state, local, and federal governments, supported 1 in 42 U.S. jobs, and represented 2.4 percent of the U.S. economy.

NBTA has been at the forefront of managed travel for forty years and understands that a well managed travel program ensures companies are following guidelines that include competitive bidding, expense reporting, cost containment, and policy compliance. The travel industry believes so strongly in the benefits of effectively managed travel it has published a set of standards that are being recommended to TARP companies. We encourage the Treasury Department to work with the broader travel industry to set guidelines for managed travel.