I
want to applaud the U.S. Senate for taking a major step toward strengthening
the American economy by passing the Travel Promotion Act this week. This law,
if passed in the House, would create a public-private partnership to promote
the United States as a premier international travel destination and communicate
U.S. security and entry policies.
As mentioned in a
previous post, America’s travel industry is at a disadvantage because we are the only major country without a
national tourism promotion budget, putting us behind even so-called "third
world" countries that set aside funding for television advertising campaigns in
many parts of the world. The Travel Promotion Act would bring the U.S. into the
21st century of global tourism marketing, which will help raise our profile, ease
international concerns about perceived U.S. entry hassles and reassure visitors
that we are working hard to make it easier to get here while protecting our
borders.
As
chair of the U.S. Travel Association, I hear all too often about how our
confusing post-9/11 security policies and negative media coverage have deterred
foreign travelers from visiting America. For example, the U.S. attracted 634,000
fewer overseas visitors in 2008 than in 2000, despite 56 million more global
overseas travelers worldwide. Because overseas visitors travel farther to get
here, they tend to stay longer and spend more than other visitors, so this is a
lucrative market in which we continue to lose ground. In fact, the Department
of Commerce projects that international travel to the U.S. will be down 8
percent this year. In addition, the U.S. Travel Association estimates that, based on its
analysis of government data, the U.S. travel industry will lose nearly 450,000
jobs between 2008 and 2009.
On
a positive note, a well-executed U.S. promotion program would attract 1.6
million new international visitors, generate $4 billion in new economic
stimulus and $321 million in new federal tax revenue each year (Source: Oxford
Economics). The U.S. Travel Association estimates that the Travel Promotion Act
would create nearly 40,000 new American jobs in the first year, and the
Congressional Budget Office estimates it would reduce the federal budget
deficit by $425 million over 10 years.
Because the Travel Promotion Act is not
yet passed, and to stay ahead of the recession curve, the California Travel
& Tourism Commission has maintained our recently expanded international
marketing budget to increase California’s share of voice globally while many
other U.S. destinations cut back. While this will help position California well
over the long haul, it is still a struggle for destination marketers even in the
Golden State to promote overseas travel. Visitors don’t understand
ever-changing U.S. entry procedures, and thus seek alternative countries for
their vacations. Since international travel to California generates $18.3 billion in visitor expenditures, which helps
support 924,000 jobs in the state, we can’t afford to ignore this concern and
just hope it gets better on its own.
I urge California
representatives from the U.S. House to help boost the Golden State’s economy by
passing the Travel Promotion Act. Standing up for this important industry is
not only the right thing to do, but the funding structure couldn’t be easier to
endorse because it won’t cost taxpayers a dime. The law would be paid for by
private sector contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not pay
$131 for a visa to enter the United States.
I also encourage those
with interest in the state travel industry to write your Congressman or
Congresswoman to swiftly pass this bill, also known as H.R. 2935, which is
being sponsored by Representatives Delahunt and Blunt. With the economy in the
state it’s in, we can’t afford to wait any longer to fund a national promotion
campaign to help the U.S. and California compete more effectively in the worldwide
marketplace.
For more information
about the Travel Promotion Act, please
visit www.poweroftravel.org. For more information on California Tourism, go to www.visitcalifornia.com.