[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 64 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TOURISM ORGANIZATION ACT

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise in support of the bill 
introduced yesterday to establish a U.S. Tourism Organization, S. 1735. 
I am pleased to cosponsor the legislation. Tourism is the second 
largest employer in my State and a critical component of my State's 
economic development. It is unfortunate that the U.S. Travel and 
Tourism Administration [USTTA] has become a victim of budgetary 
constraints, and I am pleased that S. 1735 will preserve a Federal role 
in crafting a coherent policy to promote the United States as a tourist 
destination. The bill will also provide for a repository of information 
to enable the tourism industry to develop a strategy to compete for the 
international tourism dollar. I hope that this new organization will 
become a model for public-private partnerships and will fill the void 
left by the elimination of USTTA

                          ____________________