Roger Dow, the President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, talks about travel trends around the world and reveals the serious decline in tourism to the United States. He speaks about why the United States should be the darling of the travel industry and the importance of travel and tourism to its economy. Roger explains how travel is huge in America, but it’s not nearly where it should be and predicts that people are going to want to travel even more in the future.

Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, shares that people and governments around the world are starting to understand that travel and tourism is a serious industry. One out of five new jobs are connected to the travel industry. Then, Matthew comments on technology and automation and why these are a couple of the world’s biggest problems. He also discusses what he’s found out about the leisure market in the industry.

Chris Thompson, President and CEO of Brand USA, speaks about the economic benefits of travel and shares that the amazing thing about travel and tourism is that it transcends politics – even in the United States – and brings people and cultures together. The Brand USA leader then comments on the underrated cities in the United States.

Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation, reveals the staggering statistic that travel to the United States is down by 20%. Even though the U.S. government has tried to explain who is affected by its travel bans, it has affected people everywhere from Australia to as close as Canada. He then reveals what countries are making a comeback and the non-profits that are helping restore areas of the world that are being decimated in one way or another.

Costas Christ, Editor at Large for National Geographic Traveler, joins the program to share information on a recent report that stated that 80% of post-boomers, millennial and gen-z declared their priority is sustainable travel that cares for the people of the location and delivers a good vacation. He shares why the travel industry is undergoing a revolution and how those that have been slow to respond are going to be left by the wayside. Costas also speaks on the major issue of plastic around the world and the problems it’s causing for the environment and animals around the world.

Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW International Airport, speaks about the complexity and challenges of running airports and working with the FAA and airlines across the board to ensure safety. Did you know that DFW encompasses 17,000 acres and is as large as the island of Manhattan? With that in mind, Sean reveals what problems are keeping him up at night.

Arnie Weissmann, Editor in Chief of Travel Weekly, discusses biometrics, a compelling economic argument, and the reason it has the potential to double the capacity at every airport. He also speaks about a recent pilot program where a 350-passenger plane was boarded in 20 minutes using new facial recognition technology. He also reveals the percentage of leisure passengers that said they’d happily give up more of their information to facilitate the airport process.

By Alessandra Taryn Bea for PeterGreenberg.com