b'LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORStrong Tourism and AT THE HELMTravel Demand This SummerJOHN GROUNDWATER // EXECUTIVE DIRECTORT he U.S. Travel Association (USTA) is forecastingsearch indicates that corporate spending on special events that domestic leisure travel is expected to reach 1.96is expected to increase in 2025 by more than 4 percent.billion trips in 2025. This is a 2 percent increase over 2024 and a 6 percent increase over pre-pandemic lev- Overall, travel experts signal that travel and tourism in the els. USTA also estimates that travel spending will grow byU.S. in 2025 will shape up to be very strong overall. Cur-3.9 percent in 2025, reaching $1.35 trillion.rent estimates show that a large number of U.S. vacationers intendtotraveldomestically Inlinewiththesepositiverather than venture overseas.forecasts,PVAmembersOverall, travel experts have been reporting a robustsignal that travel andPVA URGES HHS SEC-businessclimateinmostRETARY KENNEDY TO regionssofarthissummer.tourism in the U.S. inTAKE ACTION ON ORAL AnextremelybusyFourth2025 will shape up toFLUID DRUG TESTINGof July weekend occurred inPVAhasdraftedaletterto mostlocalitieswherePVAbe very strong overall.RobertF.Kennedy,Jr,sec-operators described bustlingCurrent estimates showretaryoftheDepartmentof crowdsandpackedvesselsthat a large number ofHealthandHumanServices throughout the holiday.(HHS),requestingthathis U.S. vacationers intend todepartment expedite the certi-Priortotheholiday,AAAtravel domestically ratherfication of laboratories which predictedthat72.2millionwouldbeauthorizedtocon-Americanswouldtravelthan venture overseas. duct oral fluid drug testing.domesticallyovertheJuly Fourthholidayweek.ThisThe Department of Transpor-was an expected increase of 2.4 percent over 2024 numberstation (DOT) included oral fluid testing in its regulated in-and represents the highest volume of travel ever experienceddustry testing program. The rule requires that two laborato-for this holiday weekend. AAA suggested that this increaseries be approved before the regulations can be implemented. is reflective of a growing consumer trend of shorter, moreCurrently, only one laboratory in Canada is approved.frequent three-night trips replacing longer vacations. At the same time, AAA projected 61.6 million travelers by car andThis has been a regulatory priority of PVAs for some time 5.84 million by air during Independence Day week alone. now. Oral fluid testing provides more accurate, real-time results about an individuals fitness for duty at the time For some, a wave of periodic poor weather in the late springof testing. and early summer plagued isolated corners of the U.S. Af-fected PVA operators have expressed that they have essen- The PVA letter to Secretary Kennedy states, Oral fluids tially made up for this temporary lag in business with thetesting offers numerous advantages. It is minimally inva-advent of better weather, private parties, and special events.sive, relatively inexpensive, and is far easier to administer in diverse settings compared to traditional urine tests. We Inaddition,corporateeventbookingshavereportedlyurge HHS to prioritize the approval process for laborato-shown signs of a healthy return this summer. Industry re- ries to conduct oral fluids testing.Continued on page 527 JULY 2025'