PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
Cathy Keefe
202.408.2183
ckeefe@tia.org, www.tia.org

June 20, 2007

TRAVEL LEADERS LAUD DORGAN, STEVENS AND INOUYE FOR INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO FUND A FIRST-EVER INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PROMOTION CAMPAIGN

Washington, D.C. — Travel industry leaders today lauded Senators Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) for introducing legislation to create the first-ever substantial and sustainable international marketing campaign to promote America as a destination to others around the world.

The legislation would create a public-private partnership providing matching funds of up to $100 million annually that would be added to money spent by travel industry interests to promote the U.S. internationally. The marketing program would be administered through a nonprofit Corporation for Travel Promotion that would report to the Department of Commerce and be overseen by a board of 14 travel industry leaders.

“This is a huge opportunity for America and our travel industry,” said Roger J. Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association. “With this legislation, if our industry can raise less than one-tenth of one percent of what we receive from international visitors each year, our country will have $200 million each year to change perceptions of America around the world and compete with other countries for travelers.”

Department of Commerce figures show international travelers spent $107 billion in the U.S. last year.

“This legislation is addressing the fact that the world has changed in the past five years,” said Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loews Hotels and Chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable. “Perceptions about our visa and entry processes, and increased spending by other countries around the world inviting people to visit, have led to a 17 percent decline in overseas travel to America. This legislation creates a vehicle for us to compete with other countries aggressively marketing themselves and sends a message to the world that the U.S. is both secure and welcoming.”

The legislation proposes the following:

• Creation of an Under Secretary of Commerce for Travel Promotion;
• Establishment of a fee to be collected through an electronic travel authorization process on travelers from visa waiver countries, which would provide money to the government matching program;
• In fiscal 2009, the international travel promotion fund would be comprised of two dollars in government funds for every dollar contributed by the travel industry entities. Thereafter, it would become a one-to-one match.

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