Travel and Tourism: DOT Should Improve Strategic Planning and Data Collection

Travel and tourism are vital to the U.S. economy, generating trillions in economic output and supporting millions of American jobs. In recent years, Congress has expanded DOT's responsibilities in this area, and aimed to use infrastructure investments to help the travel and tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. DOT provides grant funding to state, local, and tribal governments, among other entities, to support travel and tourism. In 2021, DOT published its National Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2020-2024, which aims to articulate a strategic vision for DOT to make the U.S. travel and tourism industry more competitive globally. In GAO's prior work, it has identified leading practices related to key elements of agencies' strategic plans that should include: (1) agency-wide long-term goals for all major functions and operations with related short-term goals; and (2) strategies and the various resources needed to achieve the goals and objectives. In 2023, GAO reported that DOT's plan has identified some general strategies and best practices for supporting travel and tourism, but it did not establish any short- or long-term goals for supporting travel and tourism. Absent these goals in the plan, it is unclear how actions in support of these strategies and practices are to be aligned within DOT. Moreover, while the plan identifies some resources DOT could use to support travel and tourism, it does not specify how these resources will support travel and tourism in the short- or long-term. However, without short- or long-term goals for support of travel and tourism, it is unclear what DOT intends to accomplish through its efforts. Given the statutory requirement to update the plan, DOT could consult-as appropriate-with relevant congressional committees on the development of these goals as part of its regular required consultations on strategic plans and agency priority goals. Therefore, GAO recommended that the Chief Travel and Tourism Officer develop and incorporate long- and short-term goals related to travel and tourism into the National Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan and align these goals with the strategies and resources necessary to achieve them. As part of developing these goals, DOT should consult with applicable congressional committees, as appropriate. In May 2024, GAO confirmed that DOT had developed long- and short-term goals related to travel and tourism into the National Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan. In April 2024, DOT published its revised National Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan, which included four long-term strategic goals, as well as performance indicators that establish short-term goals in support of the strategic goals. The plan also identifies strategies and resources that will support the achievement of the plan's goals. According to the plan, DOT used multiple sources to inform its revisions, including consultations with relevant congressional committees. By developing goals for its support of travel and tourism, DOT is better positioned to articulate its approach to supporting travel and tourism in the context of its other responsibilities and align existing strategies and resources to support its approach.