Travel industry leaders from across the U.S. gathered in Washington, DC last week to urge federal policymakers to take action on several travel-related priority issues. "We have made great strides in improving our entry processes. But these efforts won't fully pay off until the U.S. implements a nationally coordinated program to communicate these changes to world travelers," said Jay Rasulo, TIA's national chair and chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 has been introduced in both the Senate and the House, S. 1661 and H.R. 3232, respectively. Nearly 100 organizations joined together to send a letter to Members of Congress on Monday in support of the legislation. Click here to view the letter.The travel industry grassroots advocates metwith their Members of Congress at dinners and receptions around DC hosted by about 25 individual state delegations of travel industry leaders. The industry's top legislative issues include: the creation of an international travel promotion program to encourage overseas travel to the U.S.; appropriate implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) with continued oversight from Congress; and increased funding for the nation's transportation infrastructure system."The important contributions of this industry to our nation have gone unnoticed for too long," said Roger J. Dow, president and CEO of TIA. "The Travel Leadership Summit is such a powerful two days because it unites the entirety of this diverse industry so that we are speaking with one loud and collective voice that our federal government can no longer ignore."