Inside Travel’s Political Spending: Where the Industry’s Money Is Going Now

Federal law prohibits corporations from contributing directly to federal political candidates, but these funds from executives can still go a long way to furthering their policy interests.

During 2025, travel companies and trade associations have been using their federal political action committees to send millions of dollars to candidates and national parties, according to a Skift analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

Federal law prohibits corporations from contributing directly to federal political candidates and committees. But they can sponsor PACs, generally funding them through contributions from executives.

Those PACs can then make political contributions to the campaigns of members of Congress, so-called “leadership PACs” controlled by members of Congress and national political party committees. Most make contributions on a bipartisan basis. The money helps bolster travel interests’ other public policy influence efforts, such as directly lobbying lawmakers.

Here’s a rundown of notable travel and tourism industry PACs and their financial activity through the first five months of 2025:

Amount Given: More than $661,000 among about 150 political candidates and committees.

Major Recipients: These national party committees got $15,000 each: The National Republican Congressional Committee; National Republican Senatorial Committee; Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Congressional campaign committees: House Republican Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) are among the PAC’s top recipients this year.

What AHLA says: The AHLA’s PAC says it “protects our industry’s interests and strengthens our political voice in the electoral process on the federal, state, and local levels” and aims to “build relationships with candidates running for elected office who advocate on behalf of the hotel industry.”

Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, AHLA’s PAC has donated a slightly greater amount of money to Republican interests than Democratic candidates, according to federal data analyzed by nonpartisan political research organization OpenSecrets.

The PAC entered June with nearly $900,000 in reserve.

Amount Given: $376,000 among nearly 100 political candidates and committees.

Major Recipients: The leadership PACs of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), House Majority Whip Tom Emme