The U.S. travel industry is looking for workers who epitomize the “faces of travel” in a campaign designed to convince lawmakers of the industry’s effect on local communities like Orlando.
Criticism of companies that have held corporate meetings and incentives is having a chilling effect on the entire industry, the association said. The “Faces of the Industry” campaign, launched Thursday morning, aims to mobilize the millions of people whose jobs are dependent on the travel industry.
“If you listen to the rhetoric coming out of Washington and elsewhere, some people would have you believe that the face of the industry is Wall Street executives and other elites around the country,” said Geoff Freeman, senior vice-president of the U.S. Travel Association. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
The industry association is encouraging travel workers to submit 45 to 60 second videos that describe why travel is important to them, their company and their community and how they help to build a stronger economy. The videos will be screened and posted on a You Tube channel. One or more winners will be picked to represent the industry and interact with the media, policy makers and other stakeholders, the association said.
“We’ve never seen the industry more motivated, more concerned and more ready to make their voices heard,” said Freeman. “This is a crisis mode in this industry.”
Freeman expects the thousands of workers in Orlando’s tourism industry will have a big impact on whether the campaign is successful.
“We absolutely have to reach that population. We have to get Orlando engaged,” Freeman said. “As goes Orlando, as goes this campaign.”
Travel workers can submit videos at www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/facesoftravel. The contest begins March 26 and runs through noon on April 15.
