“I’m rather optimistic as I talk to many [of the 5,000 delegates] around the tradeshow floor about what’s going on this first quarter, and what people are looking for at next year and the year after,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, the Washington-based sponsor of POW-WOW. “Our friends overseas need to realize that our Gulf Coast states and Nashville are open for business and ready to host tourists, guests and your clients,” he added, noting that extensive recovery efforts are underway in Nashville, TN, while the tourism infrastructure in the American states fronting the Gulf of Mexico have not be affected by the recent oil spill.
There are other encouraging signs that the US travel industry is rebounding and is once more the destination of choice for international travelers:
