Online travel platforms generate jobs and economic growth in the United States

According to an Oxford Economics study of online travel platforms in North America, online booking sites were responsible for as many as 167,000 additional jobs in the travel industry in the US before the pandemic. This translated to a contribution of more than $18 billion USD to GDP. As the industry was hit hard by travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic, almost all metrics associated with travel, hospitality, and tourism took a nosedive, yet, online travel platforms continued to contribute to the economy in 2020 and 2021.