US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said US leisure and hospitality jobs increased by 105,000, but despite strong growth a staggering 1.7 million positions are open, a worrying figure as we approach the peak summer travel season. Even more so when travel is essential to the overall economy.
“One way the federal government should address our labor shortage is to increase the H-2B visa allocation, which is short of demand by at least 100,000, to provide the industry with desperately needed temporary workers. the official commented.
More Government Support
Federal investment and resources are needed to recover the travel trade surplus and meet the Biden administration's goal of attracting 90 million international visitors and $279 billion in annual spending by 2027.
Namely, the US Travel Association has called on the Biden administration to take additional steps to reduce wait times for visitor visa (B1/B2) interviews, which currently exceed an average of 400 days. for first-time applicants in the top 10 incoming visa-requiring markets. .
Other policies, such as removing the vaccination requirement for international visitors to the United States and addressing inefficiencies in the air travel system in the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, can help create a more seamless travel experience to boost visits.
“It is not a coincidence that the industry's highest trade surplus occurred at a time when the federal government was making a concerted effort to increase inbound travel,” Freeman added. “Facilitating more inbound travel, and effectively reducing the overall trade deficit, should be a top economic priority for the Biden administration.”
X-ray of the hotel market
The most recent data from STR reflects results from February 26 to March 4, 2023 compared to comparable weeks in 2022.
Occupancy: 62.8% (+3.0%, -5.6%)
Average Daily Room Rate (ADR): US$151.35 (+8.9%, +14.1%)
Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) : $95.06 (+12.1%, +7.7%)
Among the top 25 markets, Detroit experienced the largest occupancy increase during 2019 (+5.0% to 63.2%), while Washington, DC was the one that increased the most compared to last year (+23.6% to 64.1%).
DC also showed the most substantial RevPAR growth year over year (+52.2% to $113.56).
In ADR terms, Las Vegas ($196.65) reported the largest ADR increase when compared to 2019 (+56.8%) and 2022 (+33.7%). Las Vegas also experienced the largest jump in RevPAR during 2019 (+54.3% to $153.55).
The steepest RevPAR declines since 2019 were seen in San Francisco (-51.4% to US$117.39) and New Orleans (-19.4% to US$122.95). Year-over-year, Miami (-4.2% to $225.72) was the only Top 25 Market to report a decline in RevPAR.
Additional Performance Data
STR's world-leading hotel performance sample comprises 77,000 properties and 10 million rooms worldwide. Members of the media should see the contacts listed below to request additional information.