[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2535-H2539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRAVEL-TOURISM WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ryan). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague today. I know 
how proud his mother must be as he ascends in the chair of the United 
States Congress in his first term. I am sure the people of Wisconsin 
are indeed fortunate and proud to have him representing them. And I 
salute him as he leads this Chamber today during our Special Orders.
  Our Special Order today is designed to highlight Travel and Tourism 
Week, May 2 through May 8. Wednesday, May 5, is Tourist Appreciation 
Day; and in honor of this day there is a reception being held in the 
Longworth cafeteria from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
  Why are we focusing on travel and tourism today? Well, my colleagues, 
it is vitally important to the economic mission, if you will, of all 
Floridians and all Americans. We have a lot to boast about when we 
think of the great resources around our country that people from all 
over the world come to each and every day. And some of us take those, 
frankly, for granted.
  So I wanted to illuminate some of the things that are occurring in 
Florida's 16th District, talk about some of the revenues derived from 
tourism, and talk also as well about some of the significant sites in 
my district. Florida's 16th Congressional District has over $1 billion 
in travel expenditures annually. Over 16,000 people are employed in the 
travel business in the 16th District, earning a total of $236 million.
  Restaurants, one of which I started, in 1980 I started the Lettuce 
Patch Restaurant, a small family restaurant, with my parents, and we 
began to develop a network of friends and customers. Well, 1999 has 
been designated the Year of the Restaurant by the Commerce Department.
  Nationwide, international travelers spend more than $97 billion 
dining out in restaurants around America. Restaurants are the leading 
source of travel industry jobs in the United States. 47.8 million 
foreign travelers visited the United States in 1997, 47.8 million 
foreign visitors, a tremendous impact on both employment, economic 
opportunity, and job development. In fact, the restaurants have been 
leading the way in providing substantial jobs for those that are moving 
from welfare to work.
  In fact, my first job in life was in a restaurant. I was a dishwasher 
in a small restaurant in Lake Worth, Florida. I obviously had to attend 
that job on a regular schedule basis. I learned the value of hard work, 
and I realized how hard it was to manage a small business. I learned 
what the impact of regulation was on taxes, on, if you will, customer 
preference.
  So I got a huge experience at the age of 14 in my first job as a 
dishwasher, which then led me to start my own business, started the 
restaurant, as I said. And I said earlier it was 1980. It was actually 
1975. But it taught me an entrepreneurial spirit. So the restaurant 
industry is, of course, alive and well and thriving throughout 
America's cities.
  Projections for 1999. Travel and tourism contributes a total of $70 
billion in Federal, State, and local tax revenue. $70 billion in 
Federal, State, and local tax revenue. Travel and tourism will 
represent 12 percent of the gross domestic product of the United 
States.
  The United States' travel and tourism will have a trade surplus of 
$24.7 billion. Travel and tourism will support more than 7 million 
people in direct jobs and nearly $128 billion in payroll each year. Let 
me repeat that. Travel and tourism will support more than 7 million 
people in direct jobs and nearly 128 billion in payroll dollars each 
year. Travel and tourism was the United States' leading service export 
and third largest export overall.

  Now, when we talk about travel and tourism, we do not just talk about 
restaurants, we talk about transportation. In 1997, airline passenger 
traffic increased 4.6 percent to top 605 million passenger miles. 
Amtrak passenger traffic grew to reach 5.2 billion passenger miles.
  Now, one of the things I like to boast about and why I am proud of 
the 16th District is the vast array of assets that we have to entice 
people to come to Florida. One is significant because it is a national 
park. It is the Everglades National Park, managed by our National Park 
Service.
  The Everglades National Park is the largest remaining subtropical 
wilderness in the continental United States, and has extensive fresh 
and salt water areas, open everglades prairies and mangrove forests. It 
has abundant wildlife, includes rare and colorful birds. And this is 
the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side-
by-side.
  The park is 1,506,539 acres or 606,688 hectares in size. It is a 
World Heritage site, an international biosphere reserve, and a wetland 
of international significance.
  Now, obviously, people come from around the world to see Everglades 
National Park. But it also has a dual purpose. It not only is a 
national park, it is also the reservoir for water to supply South 
Floridians with the vital need of fresh, clean, clear drinking water. 
The park acts as an ecosystem. It is a natural refuge, as I mentioned, 
for birds and animals, but also for the sustenance of life in South 
Florida.
  Now, program activities include ranger-led walks and talks, the boat 
tours, tram tours. But, most significantly, it is the educational 
programs that are arranged. The Everglades National Park sponsors on-
site curriculum-based education programs for local fourth, fifth, and 
sixth graders. Participation in these programs is by advance 
reservation, and teachers are required to attend training workshops

[[Page H2536]]

before their classes are allowed to be admitted to the park. So it 
serves vital resources, tourist education and, obviously, clean and 
clear and abundant water.
  The main park is 38 miles of road winding from the entrance to 
Flamingo. U.S. 41 leads to the Shark Valley entrance, and U.S. 29 leads 
to the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Parking is available for buses at all 
visitor centers.
  Now, this is a national park in which we are all vitally interested. 
In fact, this Congress has appropriated more money than any Congress in 
the past in order to provide and make certain that the Everglades 
National Park remains a vital, important national treasure.
  I know every Member of Congress can talk about travel and tourism in 
their district, as well. I would like to show, in fact, a picture 
painted by my mother of the Jupiter Lighthouse. This is in my district. 
This, of course, is a rendering of one of the most historic sites in 
Palm Beach County.
  And of course Jupiter, in the northern part of my district, is 
clearly proud of its lighthouse and, obviously, its history. But this 
is one I am proudly displaying in my office. In fact, many people 
comment as they come from our community how impressed they are with the 
painting. And I am thankful to my mother, clearly, for doing it for me. 
But most importantly, it represents something that most people when 
they come to our Nation's Capital can look at and admire and reflect on 
the fact that they just recently arrived from Florida, and they can see 
something that relates back to my district that they can enjoy and talk 
about.
  The Jupiter Lighthouse was constructed in 1853 under the 
administration of President Franklin Pierce, and he appropriated at 
that time the sum of $25,000 for the building of the lighthouse at 
Jupiter Inlet. It was designed by Lieutenant George Gordon Meade, who 
later gained fame as the general in command of the victorious Union 
forces at the battle of Gettysburg.
  The site was selected and the materials brought in in 1854. And of 
course it served as clearly an indication for navigational traffic, to 
make certain that they would arrive safely into the Jupiter Inlet at 
the time. And so this was one of our first vitally important public 
works projects by the Nation, but now is the oldest structure in Palm 
Beach County, and it is listed on the Natural Register of Historic 
Places. The lighthouse is maintained by the Florida History Center and 
Museum in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard.
  So those are just a few of the places that exist in Florida that are, 
of course, vitally important, and we have many, many others.
  Mr. Speaker, I see a friend approaching who would certainly like to 
speak, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the chairman; and I would 
be delighted to yield to the chairman to talk about travel and tourism 
in his State.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Florida 
yielding.
  Let me just say, as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands and 
National Parks, I cannot believe how much people love parks. I tell my 
friend from Florida, there was a survey done recently on what the 
American people like the very most about America or the United States 
Government, and the thing that came out number one was the national 
parks. People love our parks. In fact, they love them to death.
  And does my colleague know what they love the least? Maybe I should 
not even bring this up. It was the Internal Revenue Service.
  Be that as it may, I am glad to join with my friend here and talk 
about the economic effects of many visitors who come to Utah for 
business and pleasure. And it is very substantial.
  In Utah we have five national parks: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, 
Canyonlands and Arches. We have seven national monuments: Cedar Breaks, 
Rainbow Bridge, Dinosaur, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Timpanogas Cave, 
and on September 16, 1998, the President of the United States gave us 
one that we really did not want very badly but we have it now, and it 
is called the Grand Staircase Escalante.
  In addition to that, we have the Glen Canyon National Recreation 
Area, known as Lake Powell, and the Golden Spike National Historic 
Site, one of the most beautiful areas that we have in the West.
  These scenic, cultural, and historic sites draw thousands of visitors 
to Utah each year to absorb and enjoy the wondrous lessons, stories, 
and inspiration to be gained from these special places.

                              {time}  1515

  The same can be said of the thousands of acres of public lands in 
Utah's national forests and those administered by the Bureau of Land 
Management. As these visitors seek out great destinations in Utah's 
public lands, there is a group of professional service providers in 
most of the units of the national park system to meet their necessary 
and appropriate needs.
  My thanks go to these dedicated people who work at our several parks 
and the concession companies who work so diligently doing it. They 
provide the food, the laundry and the transportation, souvenirs and 
equipment rentals. Every day there are meetings, talking with and 
assisting the visitors to enjoy a more comfortable and safe experience. 
The park concessionaires are a vital cog in the network of those who 
make travel and tourism a major part of the Utah economy.
  Many others in the broader area of the hospitality industry serve our 
national parks as well as other networks. It is fun, as the chairman of 
the Subcommittee Committee on National Parks, to go into the parks of 
America, like going into Yellowstone, and say, ``What do you like about 
Yellowstone?'' Some people like the bears, some people like the 
geysers. Some say, ``I just like the lodge, I like to go to the Old 
Faithful Lodge or the Lake Lodge or I like to go out on the lake.'' We 
all have something different we see in these areas. But we are so 
blessed in this country. Teddy Roosevelt was so right, if I may say so, 
when he established those. I guess I kind of zero in on those because 
so many, many people go to the parks of America.
  Frankly, if I may say so, the parks are the best deal in America. In 
1915 they could go to Yellowstone Park and drive their old Model A or 
Model T in there and it cost them $10. In 1996 the cost of taking a car 
into Yellowstone was $10. As you know, we have traded that up just a 
tad, and now they pay a few more dollars for it. It is funny how many 
people will write me and say, ``Mr. Chairman, we are getting such a 
good deal, I feel like I have ripped off the public'' and they send 
money, which I immediately give to the Treasury, I want the gentleman 
to know. It is interesting to see how many people realize what a good 
deal they have got. If you take the wife and family out to a show and 
dinner, you are going to pay a lot more than you would pay to go into 
our parks.
  As we observe National Tourism Week, 1999, I am proud to join with my 
colleagues in saluting all of those involved with travel and tourism 
across America, in my home State of Utah and pledge my cooperation to 
work in continuing the great results that come from this extremely 
vital part of our economy.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Utah for his 
strong and dedicated work on funding our national parks, because that 
in fact is a real magnet, if you will, for people coming to America. As 
he clearly stated in his time allocated, that people desperately love 
to come to see the natural resources that we have to offer. Many of 
them in their own countries have not prioritized preservation of public 
lands in order to enhance not only this generation but future 
generations to come.
  The gentleman from Utah has not only been a good steward of those 
resources but has appropriately given credit to President Teddy 
Roosevelt for establishing them. I think that is lost on a lot of 
people. But it took foresight, dedication and, I am sure, perseverance 
when there were other demands for dollars to be spent to preserve what 
are then great heritage sites for us that become something that is 
synonymous with America and represents, I think, the great fabric of 
our society. I want to commend the gentleman from Utah for that 
leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella)

[[Page H2537]]

who is also another strong advocate of tourism and probably can tell us 
a number of great sites that are located within the wonderful State of 
Maryland.
  Mrs. MORELLA. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) for 
taking out this special order. I would certainly recognize the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) also for the stewardship he has shown 
and certainly the leadership that the gentleman from Florida has shown.
  I wanted to make sure I came down to the floor of the House to be 
able to comment to this body about how important travel and tourism is, 
because every year more than 21 million visitors travel from every part 
of the country and the far corners of the world to Washington, D.C. The 
District is the Nation's capital. It is a cultural hub with many fine 
museums and theaters, and it is home to many fine colleges and 
universities. These visitors bring economic prosperity to the 
metropolitan Washington area, creating jobs, income and tax revenues 
for the local area.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the travel and tourism industry 
which has long been an important part of the American economy. The 
industry is the Nation's second largest employer, providing more than 
16 million jobs. It is the third largest retail sales industry. In 
1998, it generated more than $71 billion in tax revenues for Federal, 
State and local governments. The travel and tourism industry is diverse 
and it touches every sector of our society, from business to the arts 
to education. Dollars that tourists spend trickle down to local 
communities and benefit the whole U.S. economy.
  The good news is that people are traveling at record rates and the 
industry is proving that it is an economic success story. The travel 
and tourism industry is often perceived as a collection of separate 
business industries: the hotel industry, airline industry, the cruise 
line industry, the car rental industry and the food and beverage 
industry. Considered as a whole, travel and tourism is an industrial 
powerhouse. It is critical to the economy of every State in our Nation.
  In 1996, travel spending generated nearly 97,000 jobs in my State of 
Maryland, and nearly $1.9 billion in salaries and wages for Maryland 
residents. The 97,000 travel-generated jobs comprise 4.4 percent of the 
total State nonagricultural employment. Domestic and international 
travelers spent more than $6.4 billion in Maryland during 1996, of 
which more than $1.2 billion went to the Federal, State and local 
governments.
  Over the past 10 years, world tourism has continued to grow. In 1997, 
there were 613 million international visitors to the United States. 
They spent approximately $444 billion. International arrivals to the 
United States reached 47.8 million in 1997 which was 7.8 percent of the 
world total.
  Next week, and that is May 2nd through 8th, is National Tourism Week. 
The purpose of National Tourism Week is to celebrate the economic, 
social and cultural impact of travel and tourism on our Nation. 
Localities everywhere will celebrate tourism and make efforts to 
educate local residents on the importance and impact of tourism on 
their communities.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a fitting time to pay tribute to the travel and 
tourism industry, because the industry is one of the largest in terms 
of employment. It is first as the Nation's largest export industry, and 
provides more than 684,000 executive-level positions. Spending by 
domestic and international travelers last year averaged $1.38 billion a 
day, which is $57.4 million in an hour, $955,800 a minute, and $15,900 
a second. Without a doubt, travel and tourism is a major contributor to 
the economic well-being of our country.

  I am really very pleased to add my voice to the chorus of praise to 
the travel and tourism industry, which brings a virtual treasure trove 
of economic opportunity right in our own backyards. I certainly thank 
the gentleman for his leadership in having us come to the floor of the 
House and submit statements on behalf of what is being done for our 
country through travel and tourism.
  Mr. FOLEY. I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland.
  It is my distinct pleasure to now introduce a gentleman who knows a 
great deal about travel and tourism, who in fact represents probably 
one of Florida's most dynamic cities, Orlando, which is the home to a 
number of large entities who have created, if you will, great 
opportunities for families to enjoy Florida's great opportunities, 
Disney, Universal and others, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) 
who is from Orlando, chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, and has 
been a leading proponent of tourism for Floridians and for all of our 
American citizens.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) for 
having this time today. I want to join with him and the gentlewoman 
from Maryland who just gave the statistics that are so enlightening 
about the sheer dollar power of tourism to our Nation, but I can tell 
you as the representative who does represent, as you said, the number 
one tourist destination I think in the world, we have Disney World, we 
have Universal Studios of Florida in my district, we have Sea World, 
and we have lots of people who come, not just from other parts of the 
United States but from all over the world. Someone told me once that 
Brazil produced more than any other single country for tourism of 
Disney's products that are there and to visit the theme parks.
  I think tourism is probably less understood as a business by most 
Americans than it should be. So this special order time and our Travel 
and Tourism Caucus that you work so much with and I work with is a very 
important thing to bring home that message.
  And it is an opportunity to thank all of the people who are in the 
industry. We do not always think of what that industry is. I again hear 
the statistics rattled off about the dollars involved but there are 
people involved, people involved in operating those hotels, a 
tremendous number of hotel rooms, a tremendous number of employees who 
work very, very hard and contribute mightily to the business of travel 
and tourism. People who work in the airline industry. We would not get 
all those people coming here if it were not for the airlines, frankly. 
People who work with car rental companies. I do not know how many cars 
we have got but I know there are a lot of them. I remember being told 
that Orlando has more car rentals than anyplace else, I think, in the 
country, if I am not mistaken. I know it is very large.
  And when we think about tourism, of course, we also immediately think 
about these theme parks. We have opened up so many new ones down there 
lately in terms of Disney has expanded, Universal has expanded and Sea 
World now in Orlando, and that area is about to expand with a new theme 
park, which will bring more business to central Florida and more 
business to the United States, probably add more hotel beds. We know 
they are building more hotel rooms every day. It is the number one 
industry in our State.
  Agriculture, which the gentleman represents a great deal of that, is 
right there on its heels, has been a traditional source of very great 
industry to our State. But travel and tourism is indeed the thought 
that centers on central Florida and our State first and foremost in 
people's minds, again as a place to go to visit, as a place to go to 
have a good time.
  But I think today we are more importantly saying thank you to the 
people who are employed in those industries, who develop and create 
them, who work them and who produce the economic engine that is so 
important to lots of other people whose jobs depend on that, who are 
not themselves maybe employed by the particular theme park or by the 
hotel or by the airline or by the car rental company or whomever else, 
but who would not be able to have these jobs that they have were it not 
for all the people who are brought into the area, is a tremendous 
economic engine. Again I am not here to belabor the point, but I could 
not resist being a part of your special order time, knowing that my 
home county, my hometown and my district is the number one tourist 
destination in the country.
  Mr. FOLEY. Let me share a personal aside with the gentleman from 
Florida. When I was in China with Speaker Gingrich a couple of years 
ago when we were talking about a variety of issues relating to trade 
and what have you, I

[[Page H2538]]

kept trying to explain to them where West Palm Beach, Florida was. It 
became very difficult. I said West Palm Beach. They were not sure where 
it was. Finally I decided, I am an hour and a half, two hours south of 
Disney; they would immediately say, ``Disney World, I know that.'' So 
it really is well known worldwide.
  I think the other thing, if you would comment briefly, was the high-
tech side of the business. When you look at the motion picture industry 
and some of the other things that are going on in your district, I 
think that speaks to technology, it speaks to enhanced job 
opportunities for our youth, if the gentleman would take a moment on 
that.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Absolutely. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The 
spinoff from this is enormous. You think of jobs, I mentioned earlier, 
you think of the hotels and so on. But the gentleman is quite right. 
What is happening in our university, the large University of Central 
Florida and in our community college, we have programs now that have 
been developed in order to give opportunities for young people to get 
into motion picture production, to get into theater, to get into lots 
of things that are related to the studios and the businesses that are 
there that we would not otherwise have had, and as a result of that, 
that in addition has stimulated a lot of high-tech interest in coming 
to the area.
  We have developed a great big technology center in central Florida 
now with high-tech industries that would not be there if it were not 
for the climate and the opportunity and the tourism and travel industry 
presence that was already there to begin with. We have a very large 
semiconductor manufacturing company there. I probably should not start 
naming names here of businesses.
  We have the Navy, the Army and the Air Force's simulation training 
and research facilities in Orlando for the entire country. That in turn 
has spawned a lot of small-tech industries, over 150 small businesses 
in the last 5 years alone that have come to the region. I am confident 
this growth in that kind of quality business would not have occurred 
had it not been for Disney, Universal, Sea World and the tourism 
industry generally coming to Florida and to central Florida.
  There is a synergy that operates around that whole area. We all know, 
for example, the field of animation, what is happening in that regard. 
Well, Disney has all these animations, but think about the games that 
people every day see themselves or have their kids playing on 
computers. One of the major computer manufacturing concerns, Electronic 
Arts--I named a company, I guess--came to central Florida, developed, 
working with a business that arose there, and they are employing people 
that basically use animation to make those football games and baseball 
games and sports games that people see played.
  Most people have no idea a lot of that gamesmanship is developed in 
central Florida and a lot of the people they have employed are young 
people who came there associated with the other industry that is there, 
the tourism sector, the attractions sector who are involved in theater, 
animation and so on that go along with those theme parks.

                              {time}  1530

  So, Mr. Speaker, my colleague is quite right. It is an elaborate 
network of job creation and high tech development as a part of that, 
again a synergy with travel and tourism that most people do not 
recognize.
  Mr. FOLEY. Well, Mr. Speaker, virtually every face you come in 
contact with in Florida has something to do with travel and tourism, 
whether you are arriving at Orlando International Airport where you 
will see the porter or the reservation clerk or the taxicab driver or 
the bus operator, or as you leave that facility, you encounter somebody 
at the fuel station, or you get to your hotel and check in.
  I think that is the dynamic that is missed on a lot of people, is the 
sheer job generation, and it is not necessarily that they just work in 
travel and tourism, but the off shoots from that; as you mentioned, 
high tech, the things that are occurring.
  Because of a transportation system that was originally designed for 
the tourist industry, the large expansion of the airport which has been 
very, very successful, it is highly regarded and probably one of the 
most efficient airports. But that now has spurred, if you will, the 
high tech side of it because now business executives can fly from 
around the country right to your hub airport.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield on just the 
airport, we have seen, for example, we have a travel tourism industry 
right in downtown Orlando called Church Street Station, and the fact 
that that night spot, and it is a family type night spot that was 
generated there a few years ago; the fact that it exists there 
transformed the entire downtown of Orlando and made it a community that 
was revived after years of decline, as many inner cities have, so that 
today we have a marvelous downtown city, and I would welcome people to 
come visit downtown Orlando, not just go to the theme parks that are 
out there, and see what we have got to offer. And you now see the 
businesses like that so that building and construction going on of high 
rises and office complexes there has just grown, too.
  So, Mr. Speaker, it is amazing what things are related, and again 
most people never think about how travel and tourism, as an industry, 
produces all of this change, and it has certainly done so in my 
community.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for joining us today on 
our special order highlighting Travel and Tourism Week, which is May 2 
through the 8.
  Now I would like to present to my colleagues the gentlewoman from 
Nevada (Ms. Berkley), a new Member of Congress. Welcome.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for giving 
me the opportunity to share some thoughts with him for Tourism Week.
  I represent the most unique district in the United States. I 
represent the City of Las Vegas. It is the fastest growing community in 
the United States. I have got the fastest growing school age 
population, the fastest growing senior population, the fastest growing 
veterans population. I have got the fastest growing Hispanic 
population, the fastest growing Asian population, and the fastest 
growing Jewish population in the United States. The reason that 
thousands of people, that is, 5,000 new residents a month are pouring 
into Las Vegas is because of the incredible strength of our economy, 
and our economy is based on one industry, the tourism industry.
  In my home State of Nevada tourism is the very life blood of our 
economy. We owe our incredible quality of life and our thriving economy 
to one industry, and that is the tourism industry. More than one-third 
of our jobs in Nevada, over 315,000, are created by tourism.
  In addition to gaming, world class hotels, spectacular entertainment, 
fine dining, and the wonders of the Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam and the 
Red Rock Canyon, visitors to Las Vegas have the opportunity to 
experience the majesty of the Grand Canyon by taking air tours that 
depart from my district. Without air tours, many of these travelers who 
come to Las Vegas solely to see the Grand Canyon would never have the 
opportunity to experience the grandeur of the Grand Canyon due to a 
disability or some other constraint which would prevent them from 
viewing the Grand Canyon and enjoying its splendor. Yet the air tour 
industry could be put out of business if an ill-advised provision of 
H.R. 1000 is passed. It would force the industry to meet impossible 
sound standards for no good environmental or esthetic reasons.
  I urge the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) to join me in 
opposition to this provision so that travelers may continue to enjoy 
the Grand Canyon from the air, in addition to all the other wonders 
that my great district has to offer. And I want to thank the gentleman 
from Florida, and I will be glad to share with him any other thoughts 
that he would like me to on this issue.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, one thing I think is important to note, the 
family value of the gentlewoman from Nevada's destination. I understand 
a lot of families now have great activities in Las Vegas and in Nevada 
that they can enjoy.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, that is very true, 
and I grew up in Las Vegas. My family moved there 38 years ago, and I 
have

[[Page H2539]]

two wonderful children that are also growing up in Las Vegas.
  When I first moved to town, Las Vegas was a destination where many 
families did not think of coming. But today I can tell my colleague it 
is an entirely different environment. We have some of the most 
magnificent hotels in the world that cater to children, cater to 
families and have made our community family-friendly, and I can tell my 
colleague that when it comes to my children, my parents who also live 
in Las Vegas, when they take the grandchildren for an afternoon, most 
times they take them to the Las Vegas strip so they can enjoy the many 
attractions that are designed specifically for children and for 
families who come to my wonderful community.
  Mr. FOLEY. I think that is why it is important today for Members to 
come out and describe their districts and describe some of the value 
that the tourism and travel industry plays in their hometown 
communities because, as the gentlewoman is suggesting, years ago it was 
known as a destination primarily for gaming, but now it is the site of 
international conventions dealing with some of the most important 
issues. It has become very family-friendly and is a great resource for 
all residents of Nevada who enjoy employment, enjoy economic growth and 
opportunity and activity.
  So it is very appropriate that we signal and salute the variety of 
sectors of the Nation, if my colleague will, and the 435 districts that 
make up the great United States of America.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, as my colleague knows, a very interesting 
statistic:
  In 1900 the census showed that there were 30 residents in the Las 
Vegas Valley. Now we boast of 1.2 million. It has been a remarkable, 
remarkable growth area, and that is primarily because our area is 
for tourism, it is a destination resort area, and the tourism industry 
has played an incredible and indispensable role in making Las Vegas 
what it is today. And when we have 30 million visitors a year coming to 
Las Vegas to enjoy what we have to offer, we invite the rest of the 
country to come to Las Vegas and enjoy the wonderful scenery that we 
have, the magnificent hotels that we have. And as my colleague knows, 
if he comes to the Las Vegas strip he can see pyramids, he can see the 
City of Paris, he can see the City of Venice, he can see medieval 
castles and New York, New York, a replica of the City of New York, the 
City of New Orleans. It is just the most spectacular place.

  And I will boast this: Our pyramids, our medieval castles, our City 
of Paris, our City of Venice, and New York, New York are better than 
the originals. So I invite my colleague to come out and see it for 
himself.
  Mr. FOLEY. Well, I am indeed tempted to, and I will also tell my 
colleague she gained national prominence with the opening of the 
Beloagio, which has probably one of the great art collections that I 
understand being displayed for the benefit of art lovers as well.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, if I can share something with my colleague for one 
half a minute more, Las Vegas has not been known as a cultural Mecca; 
however, with the addition of the Beloagio Art Museum I can tell him 
that it has added significantly to our culture. And my own children, 
who have studied art in school, we took them to the Beloagio Art 
Museum, and as soon as my children walked into the facility they were 
able to pick out Monets, Picassos, Renoirs, and they never would have 
had an opportunity to see these magnificent works of art up close and 
personal if not for the Beloagio bringing them to our fair city.
  So I invite my colleague from Florida to come out and not only see 
all those other wonderful things, but see a wonderful art collection as 
well.
  Mr. FOLEY. I thank the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) for 
joining us today in this special order, and I do want to in conclusion 
thank a variety of groups that have helped supply some of the critical 
data that we have shared today.
  I want to go over it real quickly again so people understand the, if 
my colleague will, great economic import of the industries we talk 
about today:
  The travel industry supports 7 million jobs contributing 127.8 
billion in payroll expenditures.
  The restaurant industry is the leading source of travel industry jobs 
in the United States.
  Employment growth in the travel industry continues to outpace job 
growth in the overall economy.
  During 1997 the industry produced more than 200,000 new tourism jobs.
  The travel industry generates more than $70 billion in Federal, State 
and local tax revenue.
  47.8 million foreign travelers visited the United States in 1997, 
spending $94.2 billion.
  Last year visits from international travelers fell 1 percent. This 
drop represented 627,000 less travelers, 950 million in lost spending 
and 121 million in lost tax to Federal, State and local governments.
  The reason I bring that up is the fact that the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Farr), a Member of Congress who represents the areas of 
Pebble Beach, and I decided that as former, if my colleague will, 
employees of the travel and tourism sector, we felt it vitally 
important to make certain that we remain competitive, that we try and 
see how we can continue to grow the industry, if my colleague will, 
again for the sake of providing jobs and opportunity for Americans and 
for Floridians, as I represent Florida.
  The National Restaurant Association and the Travel Industry 
Association of America and the Travel Business Round Table and other 
groups have contributed mightily to the presentation, if my colleague 
will, today, of the statistical data. In fact, it was the Travel 
Industry Association of America that worked in conjunction with the 
White House, the 1995 national strategy at the White House Conference 
on Travel and Tourism, in order to determine exactly what the 
statistics are, because we want to be able to document for the record 
the significance of which travel and tourism relates to people's home 
districts.
  And again we have enjoyed being able to present these facts for 
people as we once again celebrate Travel and Tourism Week, May 2 
through the 8, and again I would remind the staff of Members of 
Congress that on Wednesday, May 5, it is Tourist Appreciation Day, and 
we will again have a reception in the Longworth cafeteria from 5:30 to 
8:30 p.m.
  And again I want to thank specifically the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Farr), who has been a leading proponent and advocate of travel and 
tourism in his district. We are a bipartisan committee. We are an 
advocate for the travel and tourism industry. We are equally 
represented by Democrats and Republicans because we recognize that the 
growth of opportunity and the growth of jobs and the growth of a strong 
community depends on the many components and parts that make up this 
unique and great industry.

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