NEW YORK— Travel and tourism’s collective call for federal recognition and its worth got a legislative boost today when U. S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) pledged to “carry the ball” for the industry in terms of pushing for the establishment of a Presidential Advisory Council on travel and tourism. Speaking before a luncheon crowd on this opening day of the 23rd Annual NYU Hospitality Industry Investment Conference here, Lieberman responded to urgings voiced earlier in the proceedings by Conference Chairman Jonathan Tisch and Carlson Companies Chairman Marilyn Carlson Nelson. Noting that the lodging industry employs some 18 million Americans and generates a trade surplus of roughly $17 billion, Tisch and Nelson maintained that it is deserving of greater recognition on the national— if not Cabinet— level. —Michael Billig
