Politics of Travel: Elections, Debates, Citizen Advocacy Oh My

One of my passions is to empower people with the knowledge, tools and access to advocate for what they believe in. These last couple of months have been fulfilling to me as I have managed have the GBTA elections for the Board of Directors, organized the GBTA U.S. Legislative Summit, and am learning how I can bring this unique experience to the other GBTA regions. Throw in being selected to sit as a juror in a case, my belief in government, citizen advocacy/voting and an impartial judiciary system is at an all-time high. For those wondering what my other passions are, just do a video conference with me and you will see them all on display.😊I won’t bore you with hot takes with regards to the recent U.S. Presidential debate. I have my own personal thoughts and educated guesses, but I certainly don’t have a crystal ball for how the U.S. Presidential election will unfold.  

U.S. LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT: On June 10-12, 100 plus GBTA and GBTA Chapter members attended the annual Legislative Summit in Washington, DC (click here to view the full recap and a deeper dive on the meeting and issues GBTA took to Congress). This legislative fly-in of business travel industry professionals is vital to aiding GBTA’s legislative efforts. This year, GBTA was seeking support for improving the Visa process for overseas visitors and aiding the production of sustainable aviation fuel. In addition, attendees discussed GBTA’s 2024/2025 U.S. Policy priorities and highlighted the new GBTA economic impact study on business travel and the U.S. Economy. After a day of intense education on current issues and an inside look of the workings of Congress, attendees met with their individual federal representative and Senators. This constituent advocacy serves two purposes: 1) builds support for movement on key legislative issues today and 2) sets the stage for action in the new 119th Congress that is sworn in this coming January.  

In 2025, GBTA will once again host the Legislative Summit in June. Mark your calendars for this one of a kind GBTA event. I encourage you to look up #gbtalegislativesummit2024 and view all of the fantastic LinkedIn posts and photos. Here is a sampling from the meetings with Tennessee attendees. I hope to see returning and new faces to educate a new Congress on what business travel is, the value it brings and key legislation we want Congress to act on.       

NAVIGATOR AWARDS: Earlier this year, GBTA recognized German Member of the European Parliament, Jan-Christoph Oetjen as a champion of business travel. In June, GBTA announced U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and U.S. Representative Sam Graves (R-MO) as honorees of the GBTA Navigator Award for their outstanding support for the industry. It has been a pleasure working over the last couple of years with these two offices. I hope they win re-election and return in January for the 119th Congress. If you live in Nevada and Missouri, please consider voting for them. 

WHAT DO THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS MEAN FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL: On June 6-9, citizens in all 27 Member States of the European Union voted to elect their representatives to the European Parliament.  

The results have yielded a European Parliament which is – once again – likely to be controlled by a broad alliance of centrist parties. The biggest winners in this centrist alliance are the center-right European People’s Party (EPP;189 seats, 13 gained), while its centrist rivals all lost seats. The biggest losers were the liberal Renew Europe (74 seats, 28 lost) and the Greens (51 seats, 20 lost), with the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) coming in a strong second (136 seats, 3 lost). 

What this means for business travel: In terms of future legislative files, we can expect debates to be more polarized than in the previous mandate, especially given that the European Parliament now leans more right-wing than during the previous mandate. For business travel, this will mean having to reach out to a wider audience of policymakers to explain the value the sector brings to the European economy, and the direction the sector is pulling towards, namely: making sure that travel is contributing to climate action, that infrastructure stays robust, and that travelers can move safely and efficiently. Click here to read a full analysis.   

ATLANTA IS CALLING: And GBTA said to pick up! Are you attending the GBTA Convention in Atlanta? Stop by the GBTA Business Travel PAC Table on Monday near the registration section or anytime at the GBTA Zone Advocacy Kiosk on the expo floor and say hi and learn more about GBTA’s Advocacy efforts across the regions.  

Do you have questions about obtaining Visas? The Legislative Advisory Council is hosting an Education Session, Tuesday Morning at 8:00 AM “Business Travel Meets Governmental Policy”, that will delve into trends and geo-political challenges and discuss real-time solutions for international travelers, security departments, and compliance/audit. 

WHEN A TIE IS A WIN: For my Canadian readers, I was all set to write about the threated strike of Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers that could have greatly impacted travel. Thankfully a strike was averted by coming to an agreement. To stay with the theme, a very interesting Canadian government election is shaping up. GBTA will begin working on a Canadian Policy Priorities document for the fall. In the meantime, keep celebrating the advancement of the soccer team in the Copa America by knocking out Chile!  

Parting thoughts: I really can’t help myself but to add a little flavor to the elections. I feel as if every candidate and supporter feels this way about the other guy. And it may be only a matter of time before we see a candidate accidently punch a baby as Will Ferrrell did in The Campaign.