The U.S. travel industry appeared to be on the back burner for policymakers in the past year. But that has all changed recently.

During Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama advocated for Congress to lift the long-standing embargo with Cuba. Recent visa changes with China and the reauthorization of Brand USA have also made headlines, bringing attention to those who want to travel abroad.

And the U.S. tourism industry couldn't be more excited.

"Recent pro-growth policy achievements, such as extending the visa validity period for qualified Chinese travelers as well as the recent reauthorization of Brand USA, will help to unlock more potential revenue streams for American businesses and further bolster the recovery moving forward," says U.S. Travel Association senior vice president David Huether.

The policy changes began back in November. With the economy in mind, Obama announced that both the U.S. and China would grant tourists and business travelers multiple-entry visas for up to 10 years, effective immediately. Students could receive multiple-entry visas for up to five years.

"As a result of this arrangement, the United States hopes to welcome a growing share of eligible Chinese travelers, inject billions (of dollars) in the U.S. economy and create enough demand to support hundreds of thousands of additional U.S. jobs," the White House said in an emailed statement.

In 2013, more than 1.8 million Chinese tourists visited the U.S., spending approximately $21 billion. That is 21 percent higher than any other nationality visiting the U.S. With the visa policy changes, it is expected that up to 7.3 million Chinese visitors will travel to the U.S. by 2021, pumping $85 million into the U.S. economy.

"One simple decision like this ... is going to reap tremendous benefits to the country," said Chris Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA.

And the changes don't stop with China.

On Jan. 15, the Obama administration announced rules going into effect to ease travel and trade restrictions to Cuba. This came a month after announcing that both the U.S. and Cuba would be working together to restore diplomatic and economic ties with one another.

"Cuba has real potential for economic growth, and by increasing travel, commerce, communications and private business development between the United States and Cuba, the United States can help the Cuban people determine their own future," said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in a news release.

With restrictions eased, airlines will be allowed to fly routes to Cuba, and individual travelers will be allowed to travel to the country for religious, educational or other approved purposes under the current embargo agreement between the two countries without a special government license. Travelers would also be able to use debit and credit cards in the country.

Despite the rules easing for travel to Cuba, the country is still not open to all tourists. Currently, travel to Cuba is either via a third country (such as Mexico) or on chartered flights that are permitted to carry licensed travelers.

Even with the hardships of travel to Cuba, the number of U.S. visitors to Cuba continues to increase. In 2007, only 245,000 Americans visited the country. Last year, that number increased to about 600,000 visitors.

The biggest change in tourism for the United States came from the organization in charge of globally marketing the country: Brand USA. In December, Congress reauthorized Brand USA until 2020 in a $1.1 trillion federal government spending bill.

In 2013, Brand USA's international marketing efforts to increase U.S. visitation contributed 1.1 million visitors who generated $3.4 billion in spending, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

"It's not every day that Congress makes a policy move that makes abundant sense and has demonstrable value for every region and demographic of this country. Renewing Brand USA is one such thing," said U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow.

"The overwhelming majority that passed reauthorization in the House, coupled with the unanimous vote that passed it out of the Senate Commerce Committee, are a ringing bipartisan endorsement of Brand USA's mission and effectiveness."

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported that 6.3 million visitors traveled to the U.S. in October 2014. That is an increase of 6 percent from the same time in October 2013.

With three big changes in recent months, the U.S. tourism industry is set up for 2015 to be another positive year. The U.S. Travel Association forecasts a 1.6 percent increase in domestic travel and a 4.1 percent increase in international travel for 2015.