Robert O’Leary: What Federal Travel and Tourism Work Means for Group Travel
The new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism sat with ABA to talk about NTTO's work and its intersection with the group tour and travel industry
Robert O’Leary serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism and Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. NTTO produces the official U.S. government statistics on travel and tourism, serves as the federal liaison to Brand USA, and works with federal agencies and international counterparts to promote the United States as a leading global travel destination.
He brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience—including franchise development roles at Choice Hotels and WoodSpring Suites and work as a hotel investment advisor at The Plasencia Group—along with academic credentials from the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University School of Law.
O’Leary has stepped into a role that touches a lot of what American Bus Association (ABA) members deal with—sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, but often in ways that shape decisions long before they show up in day-to-day operations. As the DAS for NTTO, he oversees a portfolio focused on how the United States measures travel, forecasts demand, and builds market intelligence that destinations and businesses use to compete.
In a conversation with ABA, O’Leary repeatedly returned to a practical theme: travel growth does not happen by accident. It is influenced by what gets measured, what gets prioritized, and how effectively industry partners communicate their needs.
Why he took the role
O’Leary described his move in terms of timing—an unusual overlap of major international travel moments that he believes will shape visitation and economic activity.
“I am excited about joining this Administration at this unprecedented time in our nation’s history, as America gets ready to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the same time as we celebrate our 250th anniversary,” he said. “Both opportunities signal America is ready to welcome the world in record numbers, as we work to realize the benefits of visitation in jobs and economic growth for the American people.”
For ABA members, that “welcome the world” framing is not abstract. International visitation at scale tends to create demand for group movement—airport transfers, multi-city touring, spectator travel, and packaged itineraries that depend on reliable ground transportation and coordinated logistics.
O’Leary also emphasized the internal side of the work: he’s joining an established team and sees momentum in the sector’s national focus.
“I am thrilled to be working with the incredibly talented and dedicated team at the NTTO.”
First impressions on the job
O’Leary’s description of his first day returned to the same theme that drew him to the role: an unusually consequential travel year, paired with an industry he views as grounded in service.
He pointed to workforce-related policy ideas he believes could affect many travel and tourism workers, including proposals on taxing tips and overtime. And he offered an observation that will feel familiar to ABA members who build their businesses around service culture.
“It was not a surprise, but I am greatly impressed by the warmth and enthusiasm of the travel industry,” he said. “I have experience in the hospitality sector, and I can truly say it is one of the absolute best (and most enjoyable) in which to be working.”
He closed by tying that culture back to national readiness and visitor welcome.
“The commitment to making a positive difference and welcoming more visitors is shared throughout this great country, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
First-year focus: destination competitiveness and a decade of events
When asked what he hopes to accomplish early, O’Leary began with a straightforward statement of purpose.
“Our number one goal remains the same—to do everything we can to ensure America remains the world’s premier travel destination.”
He connected that goal to a near-term run of global events, including the World Cup and America250, and what he described as a longer runway of sports tourism demand.
“At NTTO we are diligently at work implementing the President’s vision not only for the World Cup and America250 but also for the upcoming American Decade of Sports,” he said, adding that the United States will be welcoming visitors for major events in the years ahead, including the 2028 Summer Olympics, the 2034 Winter Olympics, and the Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033.
In the ABA ecosystem, this is where policy priorities meet operational reality. Mega-events are not just ticketed venues and hotel blocks. They involve visitor flow across regions, tight timelines, and multi-stop experiences—areas where group travel and motorcoach service can serve as a core enabling layer for destinations seeking to perform well during peak demand.
O’Leary also flagged a strategy track that will matter beyond any single event year.
“NTTO will begin work on a new National Travel and Tourism Strategy that reflects the priorities of the Administration and drives travel and tourism across the country,” he said. “Our team at NTTO looks forward to working closely with the private sector as it grows the travel and tourism industry to welcome international visitors to the United States.”
What NTTO does behind the scenes and why it matters to operators
O’Leary described NTTO’s influence in the most direct terms: data, research, and official statistics that serve as a shared reference point for destinations, businesses, and policymakers.
“The National Travel and Tourism Office is responsible for producing and reporting the official U.S. Government statistics on U.S. travel and tourism,” he said. “Our data provides critical market intelligence to a range of stakeholders, including destinations and businesses throughout the many subsectors of the travel and tourism industry.”
He also outlined the scope of that research—metrics that shape planning and investment decisions.
“Our research includes data on international visitor arrivals, traveler characteristics and profiles, travel receipts and economic impact, the international travel forecast, and more.”
For ABA members, the relevance is practical. When destinations decide how to target international markets, plan for visitor volume, and measure success, they often look first to official data sources. That influences where demand concentrates, where it disperses, and how local partners—especially transportation providers—are positioned in the visitor experience.
Two examples of “actionable market intelligence”
O’Leary offered two recent products as examples of how NTTO translates statistics into information that can be applied at the state, local, and business levels.
“Let me give you two examples of some of our recent products,” he said. First, a major update to state-level visibility into overseas visitor spending.
“For the first time since 1997, NTTO has calculated overseas visitor spending for all 50 U.S. states and territories across all major travel-related export categories, including lodging, food services, recreation, entertainment, local transportation, retail shopping, and education,” he said. “The new data reveals how international visitor spending drives economic activity and directly supports private-sector employment nationwide, offering a clearer picture of tourism’s economic impact at the state and territorial level.”
Second, he described a competitiveness study aimed at understanding visitor satisfaction and how the United States compares with other destinations.
“NTTO staff authored a landmark, in-depth U.S. competitiveness report that analyzed and compared international visitor satisfaction across 10 key categories between the United States and competitor destinations in 2019 and 2023, identifying top strengths and areas for improvement to inform U.S. national tourism strategy.”
He framed both as tools for the private sector.
“These types of studies are designed to help American companies boost their competitiveness and are examples of the actionable market intelligence NTTO compiles and publishes on a regular basis.”
Within the ABA ecosystem, the phrase “local transportation” matters because it is often where the visitor experience is won or lost—how smoothly groups move, how reliably itineraries run, and how effectively destinations handle peaks without creating friction that shows up in satisfaction and repeat visitation.
What he wants from ABA and other industry partners
O’Leary described collaboration as a two-way exchange: NTTO supports the sector, but industry must clearly articulate what help is needed and what barriers are preventing it.
“At NTTO, we work hard to support stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry as part of a collaborative effort to boost trade and travel both to and within the United States,” he said. “We count on the travel and tourism industry to articulate what assistance it needs from the federal government to help grow this important sector of the economy.”
He positioned the ABA as a representative voice that can translate business realities into actionable input.
“Organizations like the American Bus Association are the voice of business within the industry and are positioned to communicate effectively about the importance of this industry and what it means for the American economy,” he said.
He also emphasized a shared interest in removing avoidable friction.
“We look forward to working with our industry partners to increase travel and tourism across America and to address any issues that may unnecessarily impede growth,” he said, adding, “We look forward to participating in events and sharing research so that together we can maximize opportunities in the marketplace.”
What ABA members can take from the conversation
Across the conversation, O’Leary’s message stayed consistent: NTTO’s work is designed to be used—by destinations planning growth, by businesses navigating demand, and by industry partners helping identify what improves competitiveness and what creates unnecessary friction.
For ABA members, that matters because group travel is often the connective tissue that turns visitation into experiences across communities. When the nation prepares to welcome more international visitors—and when destinations compete on satisfaction and performance—mobility is not a background detail. It is part of the outcome.
ABA thanks DAS O’Leary for taking time to share his thoughts for our membership.
