State of the Travel Industry Event Maps Out Comeback for Hardest-Hit U.S. Industry share this article Advertisements That's how U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow described the coming era for the American travel and tourism industry following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the industry lose 4.5 million jobs by the end of last year—the most of any U.S. industry. In the annual State of the Travel Industry address delivered via webcast from the National Press Club on Wednesday, Dow acknowledged the hardships the pandemic has inflicted on travel—both as an industry and as a fundamental part of American life—but struck an optimistic tone about the prospects for travel's return.