Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the travel and tourism industry plays a significant role in the U.S. economy. Travel and tourism contributed over $480 billion to the U.S. GDP last year. In Montana, tourism is one of our leading industries. Every year, visitors spend over $3 billion in our state which supports jobs and reduces taxes for Montana residents. The development of the online marketplace has made it easier than ever for travelers to do research, plan trips, and make reservations online. Online platforms allow customers to compare thousands of brands in one place. As a result, the number of hotel reservations made online has surged over the past several years. There are now up to 480 bookings every minute. As the number of online bookings has increased, there has also been an increase in the number of online booking scams. Illegitimate reservation sellers pose as hotel websites, leading consumers to believe they are booking directly with the hotel, when in fact they are booking with an unrelated third party. Transactions on these sites can result in additional hidden fees, loss of expected loyalty points, or even confirmation of reservations that were never made. One study found that as many as 15 million bookings a year are affected by fraudulent websites. That is why I am proud to introduce the Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016 with my colleague Senator Nelson.…”