[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12305-12306]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT OF 2009

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, yesterday I introduced, with Senators 
Ensign, Inouye, Martinez, Klobuchar, and others, the Travel Promotion 
Act of 2009. We seek with this bill to increase travel to the U.S. and 
rebuild the country's place in the global travel market. After 9/11, 
the number of overseas travelers to the U.S. decreased dramatically and 
has still not recovered. In addition, the current U.S. economic 
downturn has caused many American families to cut back on vacation 
plans and our travel industry is struggling.
  Travel and tourism are a crucial part of our economy. Travel 
expenditures in the U.S. are estimated to be $775.9 billion for 2008. 
Yet other countries have gained market share to our detriment. Foreign 
travelers are going elsewhere.
  The absence of Federal leadership in travel promotion has resulted in 
States having to step in to fill that void. An example is the effort 
made by my home State of North Dakota, where tourism is the State's 
second largest industry. Research by North Dakota State University 
found that in 2007 out-of-State visitors spent $3.96 billion in North 
Dakota. The investment that North Dakota made to encourage travel and 
tourism has reaped enormous benefits.

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But we can only imagine how many tourists would enjoy each of our 
States if we did not just leave the promotion to the States, but made 
that investment as a Country.
  The lack of a coordinated Federal campaign creates a comparative 
disadvantage with countries that have centralize ministries or offices 
to encourage international travel to their countries. The example of 
North Dakota should be a lesson for the entire country. The U.S. offers 
unique and diverse destinations for travelers--a small investment in 
national coordination has the potential to create a significant 
windfall for our economy.
  The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 will promote travel to the U.S., 
including areas not traditionally visited, highlighting the U.S. as a 
premier travel destination. The bill will improve communication of U.S. 
travel policies and perceptions of the process--negative perceptions 
can often deter foreigners from traveling here. Our communities will 
benefit from growth of this multibillion-dollar industry--with an 
increase in visitors they will experience an expansion of jobs and 
local economies.
  The bill initiates a nationally coordinated travel promotion campaign 
established in a public-private partnership to increase international 
travel to the United States. It creates a Corporation for Travel 
Promotion, an independent, nonprofit corporation, to run the travel 
promotion campaign. The program will be funded equally by a small fee 
paid by foreign travelers visiting the U.S. and matching contributions 
from the travel industry.
  This is a great country, and we should welcome visitors to our shores 
to meet our people and experience our culture.

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