[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 132 (Thursday, October 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10303-S10304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Inouye, and Mr. 
        Kerry):
  S. 1505. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to establish a 
Travel and Tourism Promotion Bureau; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Rediscover 
America Act of 2001 along with my colleagues, Senator Allen, Senator 
Inouye, and Senator Kerry. The Rediscover America Act is a bipartisan 
effort to help promote travel and tourism in the United States in the 
wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America.
  The bill directs the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to establish a Travel 
and Tourism Promotion Bureau. The Bureau would work with the private 
sector to develop a public service/advertising campaign to encourage 
people to rediscover America. While the Bureau will work in the same 
spirit as the former Travel and Tourism Administration, it will not be 
a large new bureaucracy. The bill is designed to give the Secretary the 
flexibility to appoint up to three existing Department of Commerce 
employees to work on this 2-year project. At least $60 million of the 
funds provided in the supplemental appropriations bill would be 
available for this effort so that the campaign can begin quickly. We 
envision celebrities and national leaders participating in ads that 
will tout the beauty of the nation and encourage people here and abroad 
to Rediscover America.
  We need the Rediscover America Act at this time for a number of 
reasons. The revitalization of the travel and

[[Page S10304]]

tourism industry following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on 
the United States is a national economic necessity. The travel and 
tourism industry has a large impact on the U.S. economy, adding nearly 
5 percent of the GDP, generating more than $578 million in revenues, 
supporting more than 17 million jobs, and providing a $14 million trade 
surplus for the country.
  In California, the travel and tourism industry provides over 1.1 
million jobs. Those jobs are now in danger. We estimate that the total 
direct and indirect losses in the travel and tourism industry as a 
result of declining consumer confidence could reach nearly 20,000. We 
need to encourage people to travel in order to restore jobs for people 
in the industry.
  In light of the effect that the attacks have had on the travel and 
tourism industry, it is important to put measures immediately into 
place to encourage consumer confidence in travel and in the economy.
  Safety and security in travel is of utmost importance in order to 
restore consumer confidence in the industry. But we will have to get 
the message out there that it is safe to travel again in order to get 
passengers back on planes.
  While this marketing assistance can only constitute one facet of our 
response to the current crisis in the travel and tourism industry, we 
hope its impact will be widely felt. More than 95 percent of the 
businesses in travel and tourism are small to medium sized enterprises 
who need help now. Again, this is only one step toward getting the 
travel and tourism industry back on its feet. Its restoration is vital 
for the future well being of our economy.
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