Force Workers Back to Office to Help Tourism, Say U.S. Tourism Boards

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, August 11. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Tourism boards across the U.S. are increasingly supporting measures to get workers back into offices to help boost struggling downtowns, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Habtemariam notes the U.S. Travel Association strongly backs President Joe Biden’s push to have federal employees spend more time in the office. An executive at the organization said getting federal workers back into the office was critical to the success of U.S. cities. Habtemariam reports cities are losing billions due to workers spending more time working remotely and fewer days in the office.   

Tourism bureaus are also taking steps to fill their offices. San Francisco Travel and LA Tourism, among others, have each required employees to head to the office several days a week. LA Tourism CEO Adam Burke said getting people back in office would help increase foot traffic in the city’s downtown. Meanwhile, NYC Tourism+Conventions plans to increase the number of days employees go to the office weekly this fall. 

Next, Trivago recently brought back commercials featuring ad pitchman, the Trivago Guy. However, it’s uncertain if he’ll be part of the company’s marketing efforts going forward, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 

Schaal writes that the Trivago Guy — played by Actor Tim Williams — was credited with helping make the company somewhat of a household name in North America. Trivago CEO Johannes Thomas said the company is trying to boost growth and taking a more experimental approach to its TV ads to help boost traveler engagement. 

Finally, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed its version of a bill reauthorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Reporter Kristin Majcher explains five key issues the bill addresses.  

Majcher writes, beyond funding the agency for five more years, the reauthorization is important because it includes provisions about consumer protections and airline safety. She adds that some of those provisions have proven controversial. In particular, the Regional Airline Association has supported a proposal to increase the maximum age for pilots from 65 to 67 while the Air Lines Pilots Association has come out against it. 

Majcher reports the Senate needs to finalize its own version of the bill and both houses need to work out any differences by September 30. If the House and Senate miss the deadline, Congress would have to approve an extension.