ARDA Inside Look - Issue 41
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First Word
President & CEO Jason Gamel
The last few weeks have been challenging for the hospitality industry as well as the country as a whole. From the wildfires in Hawaii to tropical storms affecting California and Nevada, and most recently, Hurricane Idalia that has devasted parts of the Southeast. We hold all of you in our thoughts and continue to look for ways to support those affected by these natural disasters. One specific way we are providing support to the community of Maui is a shift in our fundraising focus to our previously scheduled October 13th ARDA-Hawaii golf tournament. We have outlined additional details to the right ⇒ about the tournament and how you can help in the overall effort.
After the tournament in October, I look forward to seeing many of you at the Fall Leadership & Policy Forum (previously ARDA’s Fall Conference) held in Washington DC November 8-10!
![]() Fall Conference Save the DateExciting News!The ARDA Fall Conference is now the reimagined, Leadership & Policy Forum. The Leadership & Policy Forum will continue to be the place for ARDA committees to meet for association and industry business and will also provide new avenues for learning, networking and leadership. |
Registration is now open!Join us for the ARDA Leadership & Policy Forum. Hotel Reservations now available click here. Schedule and meeting details available here. |
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![]() VIP SpotlightsLearn about the timeshare industry from ARDA VIPs. Hear about the benefits of being a VIP member and developments at their organizations. ![]() In The News Follow our positive momentum on our ARDA Social channels ![]() ![]() ![]() |

Last week, we had our annual legislative planning meeting with Legislative Policy Council (LPC) members to discuss our advocacy objectives for the coming year. It was a great discussion with many goals and objectives identified. We will use that information over the next few weeks to create a well-structured and coordinated advocacy plan for 2024.
On the federal side, we are working with our allies in the travel community to help address impediments regarding international travel to the United States. One of the largest impediments for international visitors has been the incredibly long visa processing wait times, which in many cases have averaged hundreds of days to receive a visa for travel to the US. Just before Congress left for their August recess, US Senators Klobuchar (D-MN) and Moran (R-KS) introduced the Visa Processing Improvement Act (S.2632). ARDA strongly supports this legislation as it would establish a sense of Congress that at least 80% of visa applicants be interviewed within three weeks. Additionally, the bill would give the State Department permanent authority to waive in-person interviews for certain previously vetted and low-risk nonimmigrant visa applicants and allow videoconferencing interviews by Consular Fellows, which would considerably help speed up the process. First-time visa applicants eligible for an interview waiver would also be able to pay a fee for expedited processing, entitling the applicant to a remote interview within 14 days. The funds from the expedited fee would help the State Department pay for expanded consular fellows. ARDA welcomes the introduction of this legislation and will work closely with its travel champions in Congress to continue removing the barriers to international travel.
For more information on the LPC or how to get involved in legislative advocacy, please visit the ARDA website or contact any team member.
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