• Politics and travel: Don't be surprised if travel becomes a political issue in 2008. "Voters are looking for a presidential candidate to make the increasingly difficult travel process a priority on the agenda," the TIA says. The association cites a number of surveys that show:

• Eight of 10 voters in the primary states of Florida and South Carolina in both Republican and Democratic parties say travel is important to their lives and the lives of their families.

• Some 70 percent of all survey respondents think it is possible to reduce wait time and still maintain the same level of security at airports. A majority of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats believe the "government can do far more" to improve the travel process.

• Three-fifths of likely voters in the surveys feel 2008 candidates have not adequately addressed issues surrounding travel and tourism.

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