WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Travel Association is projecting an increase of nearly 100,000 tourism-sector jobs by the end of this year.

Growth in domestic and international inbound tourism, as well as business travel, will likely see the travel industry add some 98,800 American jobs over the next twelve or so months, says U.S. Travel.

And given the industrys "immense potential, not only nationally but also for local and state economies," U.S. Travel Association president Roger Dow says its crucial that policymakers in Washington "build a plan for economic recovery that drives significant increases in travel."

The focus of the 2012 election was on how to put Americans back to work, "and our industry is uniquely capable of adapting to economic upswings and creating jobs," Dow adds.

Although forecast to grow at a slower pace, domestic leisure travel is predicted to reach record high levels this year, with domestic spending forecast to grow by 3 percent.

At the same time, inbound tourism is expected to grow slightly faster, by around 4 percent, with spending by international visitors forecast to rise by more than 7 percent.

Part of the basis for U.S. Travels growth predictions was a report by the U.S. Department of Labor that the travel industry has created 296,000 jobs since December 2009, recovering 59 percent of jobs lost during the Great Recession.

By comparison, the rest of the economy has recouped 51 percent of the jobs lost during the recession.

According to the Labor Department, the nations travel industry leads the economy in employment growth, creating jobs 16 percent faster than other sectors.

"The travel industry is twice as export intensive as the rest of the economy and supports millions of middle-class jobs that cannot be outsourced," says David Huether, senior vice president of economics and research at the U.S. Travel Association.

"These unique qualities have made the travel industry a top performer in the current recovery."

The U.S. Travel Association is a national, nonprofit organization that represents all components of the travel industry, which generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and supports 14.4 million jobs. The association works to increase travel to and within the United States.