The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) - the leading association for the business travel industry - joined national travel organizations and members of the Washington, DC travel and tourism community on the steps of the Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery to rally in support of the travel industry as a powerful tool to boost the U.S. and global economy. Participants in Destination DC’s U.S. Travel Rally Day, a kick-off to National Travel and Tourism Week, came together to prove how heavily communities rely on travel and to show how a decline in travel hurts local jobs, businesses and tax revenue.

NBTA Executive Director & COO Bill Connors, CTC, commented, “New NBTA research shows that the business travel industry supports more than three million American jobs, proving that a decline in corporate travel and events has the potential to harm millions of hard-working citizens. With numbers this astounding, it is imperative that companies continue to travel, not only to boost their own revenue, but to also contribute to the recovery of a sluggish global economy.”

Since business travel began to decline as a result of a down economy and negative public perception of corporate meetings and events, NBTA has worked closely with the corporate travel community to inform policy makers about its importance to local communities and economies. With the help of NBTA resources and actions, tens of thousands of corporate travel professionals have contacted their representatives in Washington with messages of support for the travel industry.

Connors added, ”We know that business travel generates $208 billion in GDP, and we want to ensure it continues to do so. NBTA is proud to have joined its local community today in an effort to show first-hand the impact travel has its members, and we will continue to represent the corporate travel community in the fight to protect the integrity and vitality of the business travel and meetings industry.”