Klobuchar presses Commerce Department on tourism industry support

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is leading a new bipartisan push to bring more attention to recovery in the travel and tourism industries, Axios has learned.

What's happening: In a letter set to be released Tuesday, Klobuchar and fellow senators press Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for more information and data on what the department is doing to help the battered sector.

• The senators also want legislation to study the pandemic's effects on tourism and renewed funding for national tourism initiatives.

The big picture: About a million jobs were lost last year, as travel spending dropped $500 billion from 2019 levels.

• While domestic travel might pick up this year, including in Minnesota, full recovery is expected to take some time.

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