[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 951 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 951

  To promote bilateral tourism through cooperation between the United 
                           States and Mexico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2019

Mr. Cuellar (for himself and Mr. McCaul) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote bilateral tourism through cooperation between the United 
                           States and Mexico.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Mexico Tourism 
Improvement Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States and Mexico have benefitted 
        economically from a bilateral, mutually beneficial partnership 
        focused on enhancing the tourism industry in both countries.
            (2) In 2016, Mexican tourism to the United States peaked at 
        18,990,585 visitors, constituting 1 in 4 (24.9 percent) of all 
        tourists that year.
            (3) Additionally, in 2016, spending by Mexican tourists in 
        the United States totaled $20.3 billion, which represented a 3 
        percent growth from 2015.
            (4) Tourist activity to the United States from Mexico has 
        declined since 2016, which is in contrast to an overall 
        international tourism industry increase in the United States.
            (5) In 2017, international tourist arrivals totaled 
        76,900,000, up 0.7 percent from 76,400,000 in 2016.
            (6) The same year, 77,000,000 international visitors spent 
        a record $251.4 billion on hotels, travel, food, and souvenirs, 
        a 2-percent increase over 2016.
            (7) However, also in 2017, there was a 6.1-percent decline 
        in visitors to the United States from Mexico, comprising a loss 
        of 1,166,585 Mexican tourists from 2016.
            (8) The Department of Commerce has not yet released 2017 
        spending totals by Mexican tourists in the United States, but a 
        corresponding monetary decline would be approximately $1.24 
        billion in lost revenue.
            (9) This is a critical economic trend given that Mexico is 
        the biggest source of international visitors to the United 
        States after Canada.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to continue deepening bilateral tourism through 
        governmental cooperation between the United States and Mexico;
            (2) to improve third-party tourism to the United States and 
        Mexico through joint international promotional efforts; and
            (3) to seek to prioritize and expand the tourism industries 
        in both countries by emphasizing exchanges in various 
        international economic sectors, including relating to--
                    (A) hospitality and accommodation;
                    (B) retail;
                    (C) medical procedures;
                    (D) dental care; and
                    (E) cultural education.

SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO EXPAND BILATERAL TOURISM THROUGH COOPERATION WITH 
              MEXICO.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall develop a strategy 
through the High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) platform to carry out 
the bilateral tourism policy described in section 3 and to encourage 
the Government of Mexico to take reciprocal action relating to 
bilateral tourism.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) encourage more joint tourism initiatives between the 
        United States and Mexico, including collaborations between 
        governmental and non-governmental entities;
            (2) encourage United States and Mexican nonprofit 
        institutions and private businesses to assist prospective and 
        developing entrepreneurs in strengthening their business skills 
        in the United States and Mexico; and
            (3) assess the feasibility of fostering partnerships 
        between medical and dental institutions in the United States 
        and Mexico, including hospitals, clinics, medical schools, and 
        dental programs, for the purpose of allowing patients greater 
        ease and sense of security when considering cross-border 
        medical procedure and dental care options.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress 
a report on the strategy required under subsection (a).
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