OCTOBER 23, 2025
The government shutdown has entered its fourth week, and its toll on travel continues to grow. Canceled or delayed flights have compounded an already critical shortage of air traffic controllers. National parks and museums have closed their doors. Hospitality, restaurants, and local businesses that depend on visitor spending are feeling the ripple effects. Hundreds of thousands of federal and travel-sector workers’ livelihoods are directly at risk.
Read MoreOCTOBER 21, 2025
California will become the first state in the nation requiring restaurants to list major food allergens on their menus starting in 2026. The new law applies to businesses with at least 20 locations, which will have to disclose ingredients including milk, eggs, shellfish, and tree nuts when they know—or reasonably should know—that they are in their products.
Read MoreOCTOBER 11, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill to expand and streamline the process to get people who are mentally ill and homeless into mental health treatment and housing. SB 27 would make it easier for criminal courts to refer someone to the CARE program and expand the criteria of the program from only people with a diagnosed schizophrenia spectrum disorder to also including people with bipolar disorder. The state’s Big City Mayors Coalition was in favor of the bill.
Read MoreOCTOBER 11, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed several bills into law that have the potential to lessen the challenges surrounding restaurant operation throughout California. AB 592 preserves the temporary workaround to utilize parking lots and other designated areas as outdoor dining spaces. AB 671 has the potential to mitigate the often lengthy and costly process of reviewing restaurant building plans through self-certification checks.
Read MoreOCTOBER 10, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will pave the way for more apartment buildings around major public transit stops in the state’s biggest metro areas. His sign-off on SB 79 means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors.
Read MoreOCTOBER 9, 2025
As of today, the U.S. has lost more than $1.8 billion in domestic travel spending as a result of the government shutdown, and that number is increasing with every passing second, as shown on U.S. Travel’s real-time cost ticker. “Travelers are facing longer TSA lines and flight delays. Airports are reducing flights and we’ve seen entire control towers go dark,” U.S. Travel CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement.
Read MoreOCTOBER 7, 2025
At its developer conference last week, OpenAI launched apps within ChatGPT—built using a new Apps software development kit—and named Expedia and Booking.com among its first partners. The move effectively opens ChatGPT’s 800 million-user base to third-party developers, creating a new distribution channel for travel and a new way to plan and book travel for consumers. The company said Tripadvisor, Uber, and TheFork are set to have apps on the platform soon as well.
Read MoreOCTOBER 7, 2025
After Texas redrew its congressional map in an effort to add 5 Republican-controlled seats, California responded with Proposition 50. The plan would replace 6 of the 12 overwhelmingly Democratic districts—where Kamala Harris won with 30% to 40% margins in 2024—with districts that are still solidly Democratic but with relatively more Republican voters. The Democratic voters who used to be part of these districts would then be able to help make other districts Democratic.
Read MoreOCTOBER 1, 2025
U.S. Travel’s Fall 2025 Travel Forecast projects slower growth for travel in 2025, but higher growth rates in 2026 and beyond. Spending is buoyed by continued growth in domestic leisure travel despite economic concerns. International inbound travel is projected to decrease in 2025 for the first time since 2020, but to resume growth in 2026 driven by mega events such as the FIFA World Cup and America 250 celebrations.
Read MoreJULY 20, 2025
It should be a little easier for families to fly this summer, thanks to a new TSA campaign called “Families on the Fly.” The initiative aims to ease the airport screening process for families traveling with children while maintaining strong security measures. Perks of the program include dedicated family screening lanes at select airports, discounted TSA PreCheck enrollment for families, and exclusive TSA PreCheck lanes for military personnel and their families.
Read MoreJULY 18, 2025
A growing number of travelers are flocking to hotels with animal-centric activities. Locations like California’s Carmel Valley Ranch are bringing farm life to guests through thoughtfully curated experiences with a handful of breeds, such as goats, alpacas, and mini-cows. Meanwhile, the Brasada Ranch in Oregon is using Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) to have guests engage with horses as partners in personal development.
Read MoreJULY 18, 2025
Visitors to the U.S. will need to pay a “visa integrity fee,” according to a provision of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas, which includes tourists, business travelers, and international students. The visa integrity fee will be at least $250, to be paid in addition to regular visa fees. Limited details about the requirement has resulted in challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation.
Read MoreJULY 17, 2025
The FIFA World Cup, spanning 16 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is expected to have a significant yet uneven impact on the lodging industry. Gateway cities such as Los Angeles are positioned to see the most meaningful and consistent gains, as these markets already attract global travelers and offer robust hospitality infrastructure. Meanwhile, non-gateway cities might only experience short-term boosts tied to match days and media presence.
Read MoreJULY 16, 2025
According to U.S. Census data, California saw a 3.1% drop in private-sector employment the week immediately after the Trump administration stepped up its immigration raids in the state. UC Merced researchers found that more citizens than non-citizens reported that they did not work the week after the first raid. The percentage decline would equate to a loss of 271,541 jobs from citizens and 193,428 non-citizens in California.
Read MoreJULY 9, 2025
Tens of thousands of California state employees were bracing to return to the office on July 1 after Governor Gavin Newsom declared there was an “operational necessity” for all state employees to work in person a minimum of four days per week. Right before the deadline, CalHR negotiated a set of deals with public employee unions that delayed the mandate for a year. Workers welcomed the news, but labor leaders say the order was a clever political move.
Read MoreJULY 8, 2025
After more than two decades of forcing travelers to remove their shoes in airport security lines, the shoe removal requirement was suddenly pulled yesterday, effective immediately. According to an internal memo, the policy shift appears to be tied to recent improvements in screening technology and an updated assessment of current security threats. To bypass the shoe rule, passengers must hold a federally approved REAL ID or passport to board a domestic flight.
Read MoreJULY 7, 2025
U.S. Travel has announced that after nearly eight years of dedicated service, Tori Barnes, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy, is departing U.S. Travel on August 1. In the short term, she will continue supporting U.S. Travel as a consultant, focused on Brand USA. She is expected to share more about her future plans soon. U.S. Travel is currently searching for its new head of government relations, with plans to fill the role by early Fall.
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Read MoreJULY 7, 2025
The domestic policy bill President Trump signed into law last Friday includes $1.6 billion in spending for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Inside the bill’s section on Homeland Security grants are $625 million in federal funding for “security and other costs” related to the World Cup and $1 billion for “security, planning, and other costs” related to the Olympic Games.
Read MoreJULY 6, 2025
An executive order by President Trump directs the Interior Secretary to develop a “strategy” to boost revenue and improve recreational experiences at national parks. As part of that strategy, entrance fees and the cost for a recreation pass are intended to rise for “nonresidents.” The order calls for increased fees for foreign visitors, as well as a price hike for the America the Beautiful Pass and “any site-specific agency or regional multi-entity passes” that are sold to foreign visitors.
Read MoreJULY 5, 2025
President Trump's budget and policy bill delivered a mix of celebration and concern for the travel industry. While the bill included long-sought investments in air traffic control modernization and staffing for Customs and Border Protection, it also came with steep cuts to Brand USA's federal funding and visa fee hikes. The bill slashed Brand USA's federal matching funds from $100 million to $20 million and included a $250 Visa Integrity Fee for nonimmigrant visas.
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