[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 165 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H10639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TOURISM: THE WORLD'S LARGEST INDUSTRY AND GREATEST JOB CREATOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Longley). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of May 12, 1995, the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Roth] is 
recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROTH. Mr. Speaker, I have an important statement here which might 
take me longer than 5 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, thank God for the tourists. Here in Washington, in the 
small towns and big cities across America, the sight of a camper or a 
tour bus packed with people eager to spend money in local motels, 
restaurants, and gift shops is an answer to many a prayer. Each one of 
these vacationers is an economic miracle funding and fueling a massive 
industry, travel and tourism. That is America's second-largest employer 
and provides billions of dollars in revenue for every State, city, and 
town across America.
  In today's changing world of high technology and increasing mobility, 
tourism is an economic sleeping giant. Futurist John Naisbitt has 
written that tourism in the next century will be the largest industry 
not only in America, but worldwide, and I agree. I believe that 
Naisbitt is right. Travel and tourism is also awakening politically 
from its slumber.
  Mr. Speaker, we now have 302 members of our Travel and Tourist 
Caucus, an indication of how important this industry is to Congress. In 
1995 travelers in the United States will spend an estimated $535 
billion. This is real economic muscle. Today we support 14 million jobs 
and provide $493 billion in wages and salaries. That comes out of 
travel and tourism. The revenue generated by travel and tourism will 
total $127 billion in Federal, State, and local taxes. That is what 
travel and tourism contributes to our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, I can tell you exactly what it means for each and every 
household in America. It means that you are paying $652 less in taxes. 
Let me repeat that, $652 less in taxes for each household, every year 
because of travel and tourism. This decrease in taxes comes to the 
American taxpayer from the travel and tourist industry and from the 
tourists.
  Given these statistics, Mr. Speaker, convincing government to 
actively support travel and tourism should be easy. But, as my 
colleagues know, in spite of the growing support for the travel and 
tourism industry, the United States is losing ground. We must seriously 
focus on travel and tourism so that we can add jobs and income here in 
America.
  In the recent hearing I held right here on Capitol Hill in our 
Economic Policy and Trade Subcommittee, Greg Farmer, Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Travel and Tourism, delivered some startling news.
  He pointed out that the United States ranks 33d in the world among 
nations spending funds to promote tourism. That is even behind Malaysia 
and Tunisia. For the past 3 years, the U.S. market share in tourism has 
declined from 18 percent down to 15 percent. This means a lot of jobs 
and a lot of revenue right here in America, and the message is clear. 
The United States has invested less money in tourism, and now we are 
paying the price for that neglect. We are losing our share of the 
international tourist market.
  We cannot allow that to continue to happen, and, Mr. Speaker, this 
means one thing for the working people in America: lost jobs. In the 
past 3 years the United States has lost 177,000 tourist jobs to other 
countries. Why? Because travelers are choosing destinations other that 
the United States, and we must reverse that trend, and that is what we 
are attempting to do in the Travel and Tourism Caucus. We want to bring 
travel and tourism, which has a great story to tell, here to the 
Congress, America, and around the world because travel and tourism is 
the incoming tide of a strong economy.

  The need for action in this area is clear, and that is why we have, 
in my opinion, 302 members of the Travel and Tourist Caucus. Caucus 
members know that travel and tourism is America's economic prosperity, 
and it must be considered as two sides of the same coin.
  Next week, as my colleagues know, on Monday and Tuesday a week from 
today and tomorrow, we are having our first ever White House Conference 
on Travel and Tourism. We are having some 1,700 people from every 
congressional district in America here on Capitol Hill, and from that 
conference we are going to take the recommendations and implement them 
into legislation. We can get in step with travel and tourism, the 
greatest economic engine that is propelling America into a stronger 
economy. By the year 2000, more than 661 million people will be 
traveling throughout the world, and, Mr. Speaker, I just want to add 
that travel and tourism will have more impact on our country and in our 
world economically than any other industry.

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