TABLE OF CONTENTS COVID-19 PANDEMIC ................................................................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 5 THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRAVEL AND TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE ................. 11 THE FIXING AMERICA’S SURFACE TRANSPORTATION ACT (FAST ACT) ................................................... 12 STATE OF CRITICAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE: ............................................................. 13 The Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism and the Need for Infrastructure Improvement ....... 13 Opportunities Exist to Improve America’s Travel Infrastructure ....................................................... 14 Tribal Lands and National Parks ........................................................................................................... 16 TRAVEL AND TOURISM STATISTICS BY MODE ........................................................................................ 17 Roads ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 Airports ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Passenger Rail ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Ports ........................................................................................................................................................ 24 U.S. DOT CHARGE TO THE NACTTI .......................................................................................................... 27 1. Define critical infrastructure. .......................................................................................................... 27 2. Identify improvements to critical infrastructure. ........................................................................... 27 3. Identify impediments to critical infrastructure............................................................................... 27 CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEFINED ..................................................................................................... 28 IMPROVEMENTS TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE................................................................................... 29 Highways, Roads, and Bridges .............................................................................................................. 29 Airports and Air Traffic Control ............................................................................................................ 30 Passenger Rail ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Multimodal and Emerging Transportation Systems ........................................................................... 32 IMPEDIMENTS TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ...................................................................................... 34 Funding ................................................................................................................................................... 34 Organizational Barriers ......................................................................................................................... 36 Regulatory .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Technology ............................................................................................................................................. 37 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 39 2 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 39 1. Establish a National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Network (NTTIN). .................................... 39 2. Assess the condition and performance of the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Network (NTTIN). ................................................................................................................................................... 40 3. Align Federal policies, programs, and resources to achieve the goals of the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan. .................................................................................................... 40 4. Provide State and local agencies with resources to achieve the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan (NTTISP). ................................................................................................... 40 5. Leverage existing U.S. DOT initiatives and programs to improve travel and tourism. ................... 41 Appendix 1: 2017 and 2018 Infrastructure Projects by State ................................................................. 42 3 COVID-19 PANDEMIC The NACTTI notes that this report had been drafted prior to the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19) during a healthy and robust travel and tourism economy. In fact, at the time of this report’s drafting, the U.S. travel and tourism infrastructure had already been pushed to its limits. This caused travel delays and lost revenues that impacted current travel as well as future growth. Now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world faces a global crisis. Every element of modern life has been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide efforts to combat it, with the U.S. travel and tourism industry suffering massive and immediate consequences. With the travel and tourism industry essentially grounded to a halt, COVID-19 clearly shined a light on this sector. The U.S. unemployment rate in April 2020 was at 14.7%, 11.1 points higher than it was in April 2019.1 The highest month over month changes were in Hawaii at 19.9%, and Nevada at 21.3% - two states that have economies deeply dependent on travel and tourism. Current estimates predict that the travel and tourism industry will experience a 45% decline in revenues for 2020, which could result in a GDP impact of $651 billion in 2020. The U.S. Travel report of April 15, 2020, indicates the next two months of the COVID-19 virus reaching U.S. communities will see revenues drop by 81%, with continued losses over the rest of the year likely reaching $519 billion.2 Now, more than ever, a National Strategy on travel and tourism is needed. The NACTTI, or a version of it, should remain intact to be a resource to guide our leadership on best practices for infrastructure and investment. Travel industry losses will far exceed that of any other sector and will be nine times the impact of 9/11.3 We need to be prepared to adequately and safely welcome back the world to our country. There is no better way to reduce unemployment than to put in place a strategic plan that will get the men and women of the U.S. back to work by building and improving our country’s infrastructure. We need to face the downturn head-on and restore confidence in the traveling public. Therefore, we need to adequately train our workforce on new policies and procedures that make safety a priority to get our county and the world moving again. As we develop a national economic response to this crisis, prioritizing investment in our transportation and infrastructure projects is critical to foster job growth, get tourism flowing again, and rehabilitate America’s economy. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Every element of modern life is touched by the U.S. travel and tourism industry. Travel plays a 1 U.S. Bureau of Labor statistic, State employment and unemployment -April 2020. 2 https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/Coronavirus2020_Impacts_April15.pdf. 3 https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/Coronavirus2020_Impacts_April15.pdf. 4 vital role in interstate commerce; it improves our nation’s quality of life; it makes substantial contributions to U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP); and it supports millions of U.S. jobs.4 The numbers speak for themselves: ● Travel is America’s seventh largest industry in terms of employment. Travel spending supports approximately 16 million (or one out of nine) American jobs, with 9.2 million jobs directly related to the travel industry and 6.8 million in supporting industries, making it a top-10 employer in 49 states and the District of Columbia, and a top-10 employer of middle-class earners.5 ● Travel and tourism directly produce 2.9% of U.S. GDP. In 2018, travel generated $1.1 trillion in direct spending, which produced $2.54 trillion in total economic output. ● Inbound international travel is America’s second largest industry export. In 2018, international visitors spent $255 billion in the U.S. on travel-related goods and services, which generated a $59 billion travel trade surplus.6 Travel’s economic benefits depend on the condition and performance of the national transportation network. The U.S. transportation system supports each of the 3 billion long-haul trips to and within the U.S. each year – making it the travel industry’s most important asset. The national transportation network provides for the safety, efficiency,