Washington D.C. (August 5, 2016) – Katherine Lugar, President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, today, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s July Jobs Report. The report signaled significant growth for the hospitality and leisure sector, where 45,000 jobs were added in July.

“Today’s jobs report echoes the extraordinary pattern of growth we have been seeing within the hospitality sector over the past six years. With one in every nine jobs in the U.S. dependent on travel and tourism, this is not just great news for us, but also for the millions of Americans that are either employed directly by the hospitality industry or whose jobs rely on it. We are pleased to contribute to communities across the country – providing opportunity for long-term careers, advancing development and boosting economic opportunities.”

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Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 2 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry of more than 54,000 properties generating $176 billion in annual sales from 5 million guestrooms.