Hospitality & Tourism
Almost 15 million Americans work in tourism and hospitality—in hotels, amusement parks, art museums, and restaurants—making it the fifth largest industry in the country.1 Many of these jobs depend on our immigration and visa systems. International tourists create high demand for the tourism industry. Meanwhile, many employers have trouble finding enough American workers to staff resorts, hotels, and attractions. Current policies not only discourage international tourists and business travelers, but also keep American businesses from finding the workers on which the tourism industry relies.
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “Industry employment and output projection to 2024,” Monthly Labor Review, December 2015. Available online.
Without an H-4 EAD, Hotel Owner Could Lose Business, Fire U.S. Workers
Several times a week, Rakesh Patel makes the 98-mile commute from his home in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to the Gateway Inn & Suites he owns and manages in Waupun. Although the drive can be taxing, Patel is thrilled to run his own business. “I love the… Read More
Waco Tribune Opinion: Waco Cha enables entrepreneurs to bring their world to downtown
If you have ever tasted the bubble tea, a cold drink made with iced tea, sweetened milk and normally sweet black balls or “pearls” made from tapioca, at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, then you know it’s a tasty treat. Local therapist and Taiwanese-American Jaja Chen and her husband, Devin… Read More
Immigrant to Denver Founds Dragon Boat Festival that Attracts 120,000 Attendees Annually
When Taiwanese Chinese immigrant Ding-Wen Hsu followed her engineer husband from Iowa to Denver after he received a job offer as a hydrologist, she admired the abundant Colorado sunshine and the beautiful Rocky Mountain landscape. But it was the welcoming attitude of Denverites that inspired her to stay for… Read More
Chicago Business Leader, Grandson of Italian Immigrant, Advocates for Restaurant Workers Across Illinois
Sam Toia, a third-generation Italian-American, whose grandfather emigrated from Sicily in the 1920’s, is deeply embedded in Chicago’s culinary world. As President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA), he advocates on behalf of the industry and its workers. In the state of Illinois alone, there are more… Read More
Indian Native Finds Success in America, Gives Back to Adoptive Home of Corpus Christi
Indian native Kamlesh Bhikha grew up in an entrepreneurial family. His grandfather was a sugarcane and cotton farmer and his father manufactured diamonds, selling the gems he’d fashioned from rough stones. Bhikha also aspired to be his own boss. “The harder you work, the more you reap,’” he says. “And… Read More
Dallas-Based Artist and Immigrant Found Success Thanks to Her Parent’s Drive for a Better Life
As one of six children in her family in Taipei, Taiwan, Jin-Ya Huang grew up watching her parents struggle to overcome poverty. Her mother scraped together money by cooking and sewing, and her father worked and lived at a distant cement factory, where he was a mechanical engineer. When he lost his job, money… Read More
Without Migrant Workers, Summer Sours for Cape Cod Businesses
From April until Thanksgiving each year, a neon lobster shines out over the streets of Provincetown, Massachusetts, calling tourists to The Lobster Pot, where for the past 45 years Chef Tim McNulty’s family has been serving up lobster rolls, chowder, and other Cape Cod specialties to as many as 200,000… Read More
Immigrant Entrepreneur’s Message to Washington: Do What’s Right, Not What’s Popular
Miriam, a popular brunch spot in Park Slope Brooklyn, has served one million eggs since it opened in 2005. The Mediterranean restaurant, known for its Arab-influenced Israeli foods like Shakshuka and Sabich eggplant sandwiches, frequently has lines out the door on the weekends. These days, gourmet Israeli cuisine is common… Read More
Venezuelan Fulbright Scholar Brings Soulful Food to Baltimore
In 2015, when Irena Stein opened Alma Cocina Latina in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood, the food world took notice. “The best restaurant to open for years in the Southeast Baltimore neighborhood,” said The Baltimore Sun. The Washington Post told readers they should “prepare to be dazzled” by both the Venezuelan cuisine… Read More
Immigrant Workers
It is hard to imagine the country’s $700 billion tourism and hospitality industry2 without the contributions of immigrants. In 2015, foreign-born workers made up more than one out of every five workers in the sector—and even larger shares of those employed in more labor-intensive roles.3 In states where tourism and hospitality is especially vital, immigrants represent a significantly larger share of the workforce than the population overall.
Sources:
2 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Table 1: Value Added by Industry,” annual estimates for 2015, accessed October 25, 2016. Available online.
3 Author’s calculations from the 2015 American Community Survey.
Table sources: Author’s calculations from the 2015 American Community Survey.
States Where Immigrants Are the Most Overrepresented in the Hospitality Workforce, 2014
The Role of Foreign-Born Workers in Selected Labor-Intensive Hospitality and Tourism Roles, 2015
More Workers Needed
As the tourism and hospitality industry expands, it will need additional workers to maintain, service, and manage venues across the country. However, between 2010 and 2020, almost 80 percent of all the projected new positions in the industry will require less than a bachelor’s degree.4 This growth is at odds with nationwide demographic trends, as the number of U.S.-born individuals at that skill level is declining.
Sources:
4 Author’s calculations of a straight-line projection using data from the Current Population Survey, 2002-2015.
5 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “Industry employment and output projection to 2024,” Monthly Labor Review, December 2015. Available online.
Table source: Burning Glass Technologies
States with the Greatest Need for Hospitality Workers, 2015
The Impact of International Visitors
While domestic travelers still account for the largest share of U.S. tourism expenditures, international tourists are critical to the strength of the industry overall. On average, international tourists spend $4,500 on goods and services each time they visit the United States—making tourism our country’s largest export in recent years.6 That spending has a ripple effect on the broader economy. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that every $1 million spent by foreign visitors creates 6.6 tourism jobs.7 Each tourism job, in turn, indirectly supports 1.5 jobs in related industries such as construction, marketing, accounting, and manufacturing.8
Sources:
6 "Statement from U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on President Obama’s Executive Actions to Welcome More International Visitors," Commerce.gov, May 22, 2014. Available online.
7 U.S. Travel Association, “Travel Exports: Driving Economic Growth and Creating American Jobs,” September 10, 2014. Available online.
8 World Tourism Organization and International Labour Organization, “Measuring Employment in the Tourism Industries – Guide with Best Practices,” UNWTO, Madrid, 2014. Available online.
Table source: Burning Glass Technologies
The Current System Hampers International Travel
Since September 11, necessary security measures and visa restrictions have made travel more difficult for many international tourists. One way to increase the number of international travelers to the United States, while still safeguarding security, would be to expand the number of countries eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Participating countries must meet stringent security standards for vetting potential U.S. visitors and share information about possible terrorist and criminal threats, general and specific, with the U.S. government. Research finds that when a country joins VWP, the number of visitors from that country to the United States increases substantially.
Sources:
9 New American Economy, "Passport to Future Economic Growth," December 15, 2014. Available online.
10 Ibid.
Reforming the H-2B Visa
Tourism and hospitality companies across the United States depend on immigrant workers to help fill seasonal and labor-intensive jobs that would otherwise remain vacant. In 1986, under President Ronald Reagan, the H-2B visa program was created to allow immigrants to enter the country legally as temporary workers. Unfortunately, as currently administered, the H-2B program is too cumbersome and costly—and riddled with delays—to be useful to many U.S. businesses. Many employers say the supply of available visas is also far too limited to meet actual labor needs.
Sources:
11 Estimate based on figures provided by the H-2B Workforce Coalition and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s 2015 Annual Report.
12 “Immigration Myths and Facts,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce, April 14, 2016. Available online.
Impact on the States
Getting immigration reform right for the tourism and hospitality industry will be critical for many states, particularly those where the sector accounts for a substantial share of the state’s GDP. For example: in 2014, more than one out of every six dollars of GDP in Nevada was tied to the tourism and hospitality industry, as were almost one in 10 dollars of GDP in Hawaii. In Nevada, immigrants frequently hold the kinds of low-level and labor-intensive jobs that not only allow hotels and casinos to thrive, but also help create jobs for American workers at a variety of skill levels.
Table sources: Data on GDP come from the BEA’s estimates for annual GDP by state by major industry sector. Information about jobs comes from the 2014 American Community Survey.
States Most Dependent on a Strong Tourism Workforce, 2014
Top 10 Occupations Most Reliant on Immigrants in Nevada, 2014 (All Sectors)
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