{"id":1936,"date":"2021-12-15T18:44:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T18:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rosen-testing.senate.gov\/2021\/12\/15\/rosen-wicker-announce-commerce-committee-passage-of-their-bipartisan-omnibus-to-restore-travel-and-tourism-industry\/"},"modified":"2022-07-13T20:22:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T20:22:47","slug":"rosen-wicker-announce-commerce-committee-passage-of-their-bipartisan-omnibus-to-restore-travel-and-tourism-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rosen.senate.gov\/es\/2021\/12\/15\/rosen-wicker-announce-commerce-committee-passage-of-their-bipartisan-omnibus-to-restore-travel-and-tourism-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Rosen, Wicker Announce Commerce Committee Passage of Their Bipartisan Omnibus to Restore Travel and Tourism Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travel and Tourism-Focused Legislative Package Would Help Get Nevada\u2019s Economy Back on Track Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON DC<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> — U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) applauded the news that their <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act of 2021<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> advanced through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today with strong bipartisan support. This bipartisan legislative package is focused on restoring the nation\u2019s tourism industry in the face of ongoing challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Rosen is the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, and Senator Wicker is the Ranking Member of the full Senate Commerce Committee. The travel and tourism-focused omnibus is the culmination of months of work by Senator Rosen after holding nearly half a dozen subcommittee hearings with key tourism stakeholders and playing a lead role in bringing together a bipartisan group of Senators and building consensus on a final package.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRestoring the travel and tourism industry to its full potential is a top priority, and I\u2019m glad to see our legislative package has passed the Senate Commerce Committee with strong bipartisan support,\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>dijo el Senador Rosen.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u201cOver the past two years, tourism has been hit hard in Nevada and across the country because of COVID-19. This bipartisan package will take important steps to enhance air travel health and safety, enact a comprehensive study on the pandemic\u2019s impact on the industry, and better coordinate our national travel and tourism strategy across federal agencies. I will continue working across the aisle to ensure the full Senate passes this legislation quickly to support our businesses and bring back good-paying jobs.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic devastated the travel and tourism industry and, consequently, led to severe impacts on our economy,\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>said Senator Wicker.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u201cThere was nearly $500 billion in lost travel spending, resulting in $64 billion in missed federal, state, and local tax revenue since the beginning of March. It may take years to restore travel and tourism to its pre-pandemic levels. However, this legislation would help protect the travel and tourism industries from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. I thank my colleagues in joining me to help this sector heal and prosper once again.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tourism is one of Nevada\u2019s key industries and employs <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>nearly 350,000 Nevadans<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Although Nevada\u2019s economy is beginning to recover and experiencing strong growth, the state unemployment rate <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>remains the worst in the country<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. In the Las Vegas area, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>visitor volume is still down 7.6% and hotel room occupancy is down 8.4%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Nationwide, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>unemployment in the leisure and hospitality industry<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, covering the bulk of tourism businesses and workers, is nearly twice the national average.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Senators Wicker and Rosen introduced the legislation with a large group of bipartisan co-sponsors, including Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Rick Scott (R-FL).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Key legislation included in the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act of 2021<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n