International student workers placed through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program extend the peak season for seasonal hospitality employers by an average of 50 days, according to CIEE — a figure that translates to billions of dollars in additional economic activity annually. The program, run in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, places international college students in American hospitality and tourism jobs during their university summer breaks.

Ocean City, Maryland, served as the twelfth stop on CIEE's nationwide BridgeUSA Celebration Tour, a roadshow that honors standout host employers and community leaders across the country. Karen Ward, director of the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Private Sector Exchange, and Program Analyst Carrie Linch joined CIEE senior leaders at the Ocean City event alongside Mayor Rick Meehan.

Operator Impact

For foodservice and hospitality operators in beach towns, resort corridors, and amusement destinations, the staffing math is concrete: a longer peak season means more covers served, more rooms filled, and more American workers retained on payroll for additional weeks. CIEE positions the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa category as a direct solution to the chronic seasonal labor shortage that regularly limits revenue potential for operators who cannot find enough domestic workers to staff the full summer arc. Operators participating in the program can explore the hospitality workforce dynamics that make international staffing pipelines increasingly central to seasonal business models.

A Growing Tour Circuit

The 2026 leg of the Celebration Tour opened at Park City, Utah, before moving to Mackinac Island, Michigan, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, then concluding in Ocean City. Prior tour stops have included Cedar Point and Kings Island amusement parks, Yellowstone National Park, Myrtle Beach, and San Antonio — a roster that maps closely to America's highest-volume seasonal hospitality markets. That geography underscores how dependent the country's tourism-driven food and beverage economy is on J-1 labor, a point relevant to any operator weighing restaurant staffing strategies for the 2027 season.

CIEE has facilitated more than 1.5 million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries since 1947. Operators or destinations interested in participating in a 2027 BridgeUSA Celebration event can contact CIEE Senior Vice President of External Affairs Carye Duffin at CDuffin@ciee.org.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.