[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80884-80885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33071]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: International Trade Administration.
    Title: Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT).
    Form Number(s): None.
    OMB Control Number: 0625-0227.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension and revision of a 
currently approved information collection).
    Burden Hours: 24,850.
    Number of Respondents: 99,400.
    Average Hours per Response: 15 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The Survey of International Air Travelers (Survey) 
program, administered by the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries 
(OTTI) of the International Trade Administration provides source data 
required to: (1) Estimate international travel and passenger fare 
exports, imports and the trade balance for the United States, (2) 
comply with the U.S. Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-145), 
collect, analyze and report information to the Corporation for Travel 
Promotion (CTP), and support the National Export Initiative (NEI) to 
double U.S. exports, (3) comply with the 1945, 1961, 1981, and 1996 
travel and tourism related acts to collect and publish comprehensive 
international travel and tourism statistics and other marketing 
information, and (4) support the continuation of the Travel & Tourism 
Satellite Accounts for the United States, which provide the only 
spending and employment figures for the industry. The Survey program 
contains the core data that is analyzed and communicated by OTTI with 
other government agencies, associations and businesses that share the 
same objective of increasing U.S. international travel exports.
    The Survey assists OTTI in assessing the economic impact of 
international travel on state and local economies, providing visitation 
estimates, key market intelligence, and identifying traveler and trip 
characteristics. The U.S. Department of Commerce assists travel 
industry enterprises to increase international travel and passenger 
fare exports for the country as well as outbound travel on U.S. 
carriers. The Survey program provides the only available estimates of 
nonresident visitation to the states and cities within the United 
States, as well as U.S. resident travel abroad.
    The Survey also assists OTTI in producing in-depth statistical 
reports, fact sheets and briefings on economic factors and policy 
issues affecting U.S. industries. With the Survey statistical data not 
replicable by private sector trade associations or by private firms, 
Federal agencies, Congress and international organizations rely on 
these statistic-based tools, as do American businesses, state and local 
governments, and news organizations.
    A new survey instrument (questionnaire) (English version plus its 
translations into eleven foreign languages) has been developed that 
reflects input from over 70 respondents, including segments of the 
travel industry (airlines, travel associations, destinations, lodging); 
consultants; financial firms; educational institutions; and U.S. 
government agencies. Also, this new Survey questionnaire reflects 
changes in various questions relating to trip purpose; payment methods; 
booking/information sources; additional package components, health 
care/vaccinations/travel insurance information; additional 
transportation used responses; assessment of the visitor's experience; 
intentions for further travel to the United States; and ethnicity/race. 
Survey questions relating to a traveler's general impression of their 
airline carrier, flight connections, several airline rating attributes, 
baggage delivery wait time, selected activities, number of trips in the 
last five years, and whether they had personal safety concerns were 
eliminated from the new Survey questionnaire.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households: International travelers 
departing the United States 18 years or older which includes U.S. and 
non-U.S. residents for all countries except Canada.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: Wendy Liberante, (202) 395-3647.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Wendy Liberante, OMB Desk

[[Page 80885]]

Officer, Fax number (202) 395-7285 or via the Internet at [email protected].

    Dated: December 21, 2011.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-33071 Filed 12-23-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P