“The travel and tourism industry is vital to the health of the United States economy,” said Delahunt. “In the global competition for the international travel market, we are losing significant economic activity to other countries. Congressman Blunt and I believe this legislation will not only promote the United States to international travelers and create jobs at home, but do so in a way that does not cost the taxpayer a dime.”
“Tourism is an important economic engine in many communities across the nation and especially my district in Southwest Missouri,” Blunt said. “I’ve sponsored this bill in the past with Congressman Delahunt as a way to jumpstart our economy and create quality jobs at no expense to American taxpayers. Our legislation creates a responsible public-private partnership to remind travelers and encourage them to visit all the amazing sites in the United States.”
Since 2001, the U.S. share of the world travel market has decreased by nearly 20 percent, costing hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue. Additionally, the travel industry is feeling the sharp effects of the economic downturn. In 2008, nearly 200,000 travel-related jobs were lost nationally, and the U.S. Commerce Department forecasts that another 247,000 jobs will be lost in 2009.
Nearly every developed nation in the world has a travel promotion program as a tool for economic development. Nations such as Australia, Greece, Mexico and Malaysia spend more than $110 million annually competing for visitors. The United Kingdom and Turkey spend more than $80 million annually; Canada spends more than $60 million each year. While 633,000 fewer overseas travelers visited the United States in 2008 than in 2000, other countries welcomed more international visitors. Over the same period, international visitation to the United Kingdom increased by 24 percent, Australia is up 18 percent and Mexico is up 8 percent. These nations are competing with the United States for international visitors, and are winning. The United States is one of the few developed countries in that does not have a nationally coordinated campaign.
The Travel Promotion Act will establish a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination. The legislation calls for travel promotion to be paid for by private sector contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who enter the United States under the auspices of the visa waiver program. The bill - which requires no money from the American taxpayer - is estimated to attract 1.6 million new international visitors to the country and add $4 billion to the U.S. economy. An analysis by the U.S. Travel Association reveals that this program would create nearly 40,000 new well-paying American jobs.
The legislation would also:
Establish the Corporation for Travel Promotion, an independent, non-profit corporation governed by an 11-member board of private-sector directors appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.
Create the Travel Promotion Fund, financed by a convenience fee paid by overseas travelers and collected via the Electronic Travel Authorization system, which passed Congress in 2007 as part of HR 1. These fees would be matched by private industry donations to the fund.
Make much-needed updates to current law, including the elimination of the Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board (a duplicative independent organization), the restructuring of the Tourism Policy Council to ensure that our homeland security is properly considered, and the clarification of the Secretary of Commerce’s duties and responsibilities relating to travel promotion.
Tourism is the fifth largest industry in Massachusetts, generating $11 billion in sales and providing nearly 14 percent of the state’s total private sector employment. One out of every eight jobs nationally is associated with the tourism industry.
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