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The Restoring Brand USA Act took another step toward passage, clearing the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill would renew the program aimed at promoting international travel to the U.S. Brand USA has generated $56 billion to the U.S. economy since 2013 and supported more than 45,000 jobs each year, according to Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, a sponsor of the bill. The program is funded by international visitors and private contributions, and the decline in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a loss of that funding, Bilirakis said. The bill would direct the Treasury Department to allow this program to access critical resources, funded by foreign traveler visa fees, for the next few years. "The travel and tourism industry was one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic. As we seek to restore our way of life and fully recover, we cannot overlook the work that must be done to renew this powerful engine of economic growth for communities across the nation," Bilirakis said. "Brand USA has proven itself as a successful catalyst for spurring tourism to the U.S. We need that catalyst now more than ever to help rebuild the industry and spur job growth. Common sense solutions like this will help boost the economy and help get us moving in the right direction."

AN ESTIMATED 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, according to AAA Travel, 1.5 percent more than last year and 98 percent of pre-pandemic volumes. AAA is projecting this year will be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since AAA started tracking in 2000. Continuing a years-long trend, most travelers, nearly 49 million, will drive to their holiday destinations between Nov. 23 to 27, according to AAA. That number is up 0.4 percent from 2021 but still 2.5 percent below 2019 levels. "Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades," says Paula Twidale, AAA's Senior Vice President of Travel. "Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you're driving or flying."

HOSPITAITY FIRM OYO Rooms has filed fresh documents with India's stock market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India, for an Initial Public Offering in early next year, media reports said. The company filed fresh financial documents on Sept. 19 and is now targeting an IPO in January 2023, according to CoStar. OYO filed preliminary IPO documents in 2021, only to shelve the listing plan earlier this year after the prolonged pandemic hurt its growth and forced the company to cut thousands of jobs. The latest financial documents showed narrower losses and a rebound in sales for the year through March 2022 and in the three months to June 2022.

HIHOTELS BY HOSPITALITY International announced the winners of its 2021 awards. These awards recognized six properties and a vendor in meeting and exceeding the company's standards of operations last year, the company said. "Last year was very challenging again for the hospitality industry, so it was truly inspiring to see so many of our franchisees show such tremendous resilience and determination to succeed. I'd like to commend every one of our award winners and nominees for going above and beyond and showing great pride in what they do," said Chris Guimbellot, president and CEO at hihotels.