[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64043-64044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22231]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Economic Analysis


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; International 
Travel Expenditures

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before 5 p.m. January 
14, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, or via e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Mann, Chief, Current Account 
Services Branch, Balance of Payments Division (BE-58), Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; 
phone: (202) 606-9573; fax: (202) 606-5314; or via e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is responsible for the 
compilation of the U.S. international transactions accounts (ITA's), 
which it publishes quarterly in news releases, on its Web site, and in 
its monthly journal, the Survey of Current Business. These accounts 
provide a statistical summary of all U.S. international transactions 
and, as such, are one of the major statistical products of BEA. They 
are used extensively by both government and private organizations for 
national and international economic policy formulation and for 
analytical purposes. Travel is a major component of trade in services 
in the ITAs, accounting for over 20 percent of both exports and imports 
of services in 2006. BEA seeks to improve the quality of these 
important estimates by using data on credit card transactions to form 
the core of the travel estimates. A survey of travelers is needed to 
estimate those transactions involving other means of payment. This 
survey is the subject of this notice. The survey will collect data from 
international travelers on their expenditures by method of payment 
(credit card, cash, prepaid expenditures, etc.) and will be designed to 
integrate with data that would be collected on credit card 
transactions.

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected on a short survey of U.S. 
residents returning from travel abroad and foreign residents returning 
to their home countries after a trip to the United States. There will 
be two versions of the survey: one for U.S. travelers, and one for 
foreign travelers. The version for foreign travelers will be translated 
into several foreign languages. The survey will be voluntary, and a 
small monetary incentive will be offered to respondents. It will be 
conducted in a sample of U.S. international airports in four waves over

[[Page 64044]]

the course of one year. This is a one-time survey, but may be repeated 
periodically in the future to refresh the factors used to estimate the 
travel account.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $40,000.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Bretton Woods Agreement Act, Section 8, and E.O. 
10033, as amended.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden (including 
hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: November 7, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-22231 Filed 11-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-EA-P