With some hope that the US Congress might actually be ready to tackle immigration reform in 2014, Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson has used the Marriott International LinkedIn page to blog his support for legislation that provides common-sense solutions to the problems that plague the current system.
Sorenson writes:
"Those of us in the travel industry are watching closely. We know practical immigration reform in America is good for our industry. The U.S. must do a better job welcoming international guests, who are traveling outside their home countries in unprecedented numbers. If the U.S. had the same share of global travel it had in 2000, the U.S. would be welcoming roughly 35 million visitors every year. We estimate that would create one million more jobs in the U.S."
"As unemployment inches downward, we also need a functioning immigration system that helps us staff positions that might otherwise go unfilled, especially in our seasonal resorts. Our sector is already one of the bright spots in the economy – we've seen 14 consecutive quarters of job growth. Just imagine how much brighter it would be with these changes."
To see the full post, click here.
By Pam Carroll, eHotelier.com
