MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — Politics has supplanted finances as the biggest concern among active USTOA members, in the latest survey conducted by the trade group.
Results from the USTOA 2024 Economic Impact Study were released at the group’s annual conference and marketplace here.
Geopolitical conflicts led the list of concerns, with 58% saying they were extremely or very concerned about disruptive events such as the war in Ukraine or the terrorist attacks in Israel. Political instability in general was a strong concern of 56% of members.
The survey, conducted by PwC, has been issued annually for the past six years. Last year, participants ranked cost of living increases (67%) as the most important issue they faced, followed by global financial instability (59%) and widespread staffing shortages (59%).
Terry Dale
“Last year it was much more focused on financial stability and inflation,” USTOA president and CEO Terry Dale said. “It was more finance and the cost of eggs, the cost of creating travel packages. So that was up there, that was the focus.”
Asked how incoming President Trump’s promise of tariff hikes might affect global travel, Dale was circumspect. “You want to be proactive and be prepared. But with this administration — I don’t say this negatively — you almost have to wait and see.
“There is a lot of rhetoric. But how much of that rhetoric is followed through, and then how much it impacts us, we don’t know yet. I don’t like “wait and see,” but we’ve kind of got to wait and see. We will be prepared if those tariffs come in.”
