[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 121 (Monday, June 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28820-28823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13427]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No.: 170413395-7395-01]
RIN 0625-XC034


2017 Fee Schedule for National Travel and Tourism Office for the 
Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)/I-92 Program, I-94 
International Arrivals Program, and Survey of International Air 
Travelers Program

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of revised fee schedule with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with the guidelines in OMB Circular A-25, federal 
agencies are responsible for conducting a biennial review of all 
programs to determine the types of activities subject to user fees and 
the basis upon which user fees are to be set. The U.S. Department of 
Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), National Travel and 
Tourism Office (NTTO) is raising the fees for 2017 data for the 
monthly, quarterly or annual data from the APIS/I-92 Program, the I-94 
International Arrivals Program, and the annual custom reports, data 
tables or files from the Survey of International Air Travelers Program.
    As part of the fee review process, the NTTO is providing industry 
with the opportunity to comment on the fee schedule and to provide any 
suggestions for reducing the costs of NTTO programs. NTTO may reassess 
the fees as appropriate.

DATES: Comments must be received by July 26, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.Regulations.gov. The 
identification number is ITA-2017-0005.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Docket No. ITA-2017-0005 
International Trade Administration, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 
1003, Washington, DC 20230.
    Instructions: You must submit comments by one of the above methods 
to ensure that the comments are received and considered. Comments sent 
by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received 
after the end of the comment period, may not be considered. All 
comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be 
posted to www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying 
Information (for example, name, address, etc.)

[[Page 28821]]

voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. ITA will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/
A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous). 
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, 
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Supporting documents and any 
comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ITA-2017-0005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Champley at (202) 482-4753 or 
[email protected]; or Claudia Wolfe at (202) 482-4555 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: Consistent with the guidelines in OMB Circular A-25,\1\ 
federal agencies are responsible for conducting a biennial review of 
all programs to determine the types of activities subject to user fees 
and the basis upon which user fees are to be set.
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    \1\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a025.
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    In addition to OMB Circular A-25, the NTTO also follows OMB 
Circular A-130, which mandates federal agencies to develop and to 
maintain a comprehensive set of information management policies for use 
across the government, and to promote the application of information 
technology to improve the use and dissemination of information in the 
operation of Federal programs. The role of NTTO is to enhance the 
international competitiveness of the U.S. travel and tourism industry 
and to increase its exports, thereby creating U.S. employment and 
economic growth. The primary functions of the NTTO are: (1) Management 
of the travel and tourism statistical system for assessing the economic 
contribution of the industry and providing the sole source for 
characteristic statistics on international travel to and from the 
United States; (2) design and administration of export expansion 
activities; (3) development and management of tourism policy, strategy 
and advocacy; and (4) technical assistance for expanding this key 
export (international tourism) and assisting in domestic economic 
development.
    The NTTO has provided this data for many years and has developed a 
subscriber base for each of these programs. The fees collected for 
these reports go to pay for ITA costs to develop the reports as well as 
to support research for the continuation and expansion of improvements 
to the data provided by NTTO. In 2016, the NTTO issued a request for 
proposal for the 2017-2019 SIAT and I-94 data. The contractor prices 
for the SIAT base program are six percent greater than the 2016 
contract prices and 27 percent greater for the I-94 program. This 
increase is due in part to increased quality management checks 
associated with this program. Additionally, there is a nearly 30 
percent increase in the cost for custom reports for both programs. This 
was due to the additional work required by the contractor due to the 
additional sample and additional time the contractor took to finalize 
report formats and then issue them. Thus, the Department must increase 
fees to fulfill its Congressional mandate to continue and expand its 
market research under the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 [P.L. 111-145].
    Additionally, for 2017, to help ameliorate the increased costs 
while keeping the program fees as low as possible, the SIAT sample for 
2017 will be cut from 96,000 surveys in 2016 to 77,000 surveys in 2017. 
It is anticipated that the 2018 sample level will be similar depending 
upon the FY2018 budget. The increased fees for 2017 are necessary to 
avoid additional cuts. However, the NTTO would also be interested in 
the industry's preference on a cut in sample as a method to keep the 
fee increases lower versus higher fees.
    There are three main research programs in which the public may 
obtain additional data on international travelers to and from the 
United States in addition to the free information already posted to the 
NTTO Web site. The proposed 2017 fees are for the monthly, quarterly or 
annual data from the APIS/I-92 Program, the I-94 International Arrivals 
Program, and the annual custom reports, data tables or files from the 
Survey of International Air Travelers Program.
    The APIS/I-92 program is a joint effort between the Department of 
Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the NTTO to 
provide international air traffic statistics data to the government and 
the travel industry. The system is a source of data on all 
international flights to and from the United States, including flights 
with fewer than 10 passengers. It reports the total volume of air 
traffic and various subsets of traffic. A differentiating feature of 
the I-92, compared to the T-100 (international nonstop segment and on-
flight market data), is that the I-92 reports the number of U.S. 
citizens vs. ``all other citizens.''
    The information collected from this program has been based upon the 
Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) since July 2010. All 
carriers serving the United States must transmit APIS data (from their 
automated flight manifests) to CBP for each flight coming to or 
departing from the United States, including Canada. The information 
collected provides non-stop point-to-point air traffic totals between 
the United States and all other countries and between U.S. and foreign 
airports. Subsets of this information regarding the number of 
passengers on U.S. flag or foreign flag carriers are also made 
available. In addition, there is a breakout of scheduled or charter 
flight passengers.
    In the monthly, quarterly and annual I-92 reports, there are four 
sets of tables. The first three sets have an arrivals portion (Ia, IIa, 
and IIIa), as well as a departures section (Id, IId, and IIId). The 
fourth table is a summary of traffic by flag of carrier. To learn more 
about this program, go to: http://travel.trade.gov/research/programs/i92/index.asp. The current 2016 and historical fees (1990-2015) for 
this program can be found at: http://travel.trade.gov/research/reports/i92/index.asp. Each fee service will be provided at a 15 percent fee 
increase from 2016 to 2017. Fee increases for the APIS/I-92 program are 
being increased to help offset an ITA budget cut and the much larger 
increases in costs to the I-94 and SIAT program, because all three 
programs are interdependent upon one another and used to provide the 
SIAT data.
    The I-94 International Arrivals Program is a core part of the U.S. 
travel and tourism statistical system. This program provides the U.S. 
government and the public with the official U.S. monthly and annual 
overseas visitor arrivals to the United States along with select 
Mexican and Canadian visitor statistics. The NTTO manages the program 
in cooperation with the CBP. The program collects and reports overseas 
non-U.S. resident visitor arrivals to the United States. U.S. 
government data consists of the DHS I-94 data, which non-U.S. citizens 
from overseas and Mexico (Canada is excluded) must complete to enter 
the United States. All visitation data is processed by residency (world 
region and country), for total arrivals, type of visa, mode of 
transportation, age of traveler, address (state level only) while in 
the United States port of entry, and select percentage change 
comparisons year-over-year. The information is presented in a report 
entitled the Summary of International Travel to the United States with 
35 tables including the categories above. NTTO publishes arrivals data 
to its Web site on a

[[Page 28822]]

monthly basis, and reports and custom reports or tables are available 
on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. More information about this 
program is available at http://travel.trade.gov/research/programs/i94/index.asp. The current 2016 and historical fees (1992-2015) for this 
program can be found at: http://travel.trade.gov/research/reports/i94/index.html.
    As stated above, each fee service will be provided at a 15 percent 
fee increase from 2016 to 2017.
    The Survey of International Air Travelers Program is a primary 
research program which gathers statistical data about air passenger 
travelers in U.S.--overseas and Mexican air markets (Canada is 
excluded). The program also serves as the cornerstone for NTTO's 
efforts to assist U.S. businesses to improve their competitiveness and 
effectiveness in the international travel market.
    The Survey is conducted on selected flights which have departed, or 
are about to depart, from the major U.S. international gateway 
airports. The Survey is administered either aboard flights or in the 
airport gate area, of the over 100 participating airlines (foreign and 
U.S.) departing 27 U.S. international gateways. The Survey data is 
``weighted'' to census data. For example, non-resident inbound survey 
responses are weighted to the ``100%'' population of DHS I-94 arrival 
records to adjust for over and under sampling. Resident outbound data 
is weighted based on DHS I-92 U.S. departure data. Data are available 
on a quarterly and annual basis for either non-resident inbound or 
resident outbound. It can be delivered in a standard national report 
format or as a custom report, data table, or excel. Data files are also 
available. To learn more about this program, go to: http://travel.trade.gov/research/programs/ifs/index.asp. The current 2016 and 
historical fees (1983-2015) for this program can be found at: http://travel.trade.gov/research/reports/ifs/index.asp. When viewing the 
current fee structure for the SIAT reports, the tables will show there 
is no fee increase for the vast majority of the standard published 
reports and their corresponding Excel tables for which the fees have 
remained constant for the last five years. The only reports or data for 
which the NTTO is revising the fees are shown below.
    Fee Schedule increases for the APIS/I-92 program, the I-94 
International Arrivals Program and the Survey of International Air 
Travelers (SIAT) Program are shown in the tables below. All fees shown 
are 15 percent greater in 2017 than in 2016, except for certain SIAT 
reports as explained above. For the I-94 program, the NTTO is 
eliminating the print files and will only provide a PDF and Excel file 
to save costs. The custom reports, data tables and files will also see 
a 15 percent fee increase in 2017.

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            APIS/I-92 Program                2017 Fee        2016 Fee
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Monthly Reports printed.................          $2,295          $1,995
Monthly Reports (PDF and Excel).........           3,435           2,985
Quarterly Reports printed...............           2,070           1,800
Quarterly Reports (PDF and Excel).......           3,095           2,690
Annual Report printed...................           1,610           1,400
Annual Report (PDF and Excel)...........           2,405           2,090
Data Files, for internal use only.......          27,310          23,745
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   I-94 International Arrivals program       2017 Fee        2016 Fee
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Monthly Subscription (PDF and Excel)....          $2,450          $2,130
Quarterly Subscription (PDF and Excel)..           2,155           1,870
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel)............           1,485           1,290
Annual, data file (CD-ROM)..............          16,770          14,580
Quarterly, data file (CD-ROM)...........          18,820          16,365
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Combined 2015 and 2016 International I-         2017 Fee        2016 Fee
 94 Arrivals Data
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Monthly Subscription (PDF and Excel)....          $3,730          $3,240
Quarterly Subscription (PDF and Excel)..           3,170           2,755
Annual Issue (PDF and Excel)............           2,000           1,740
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  Survey of International Air Travelers
                 program                     2017 Fee        2016 Fee
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CUSTOM TABLE--1st table, in Excel.......          $2,720          $2,365
CUSTOM TABLE--all other tables in Excel.           1,645           1,430
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF (First          10,210           8,875
 banner)................................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF                  9,185           7,985
 (Second banner)........................
Custom Reports with Excel and PDF (Third           8,220           7,145
 + banners).............................
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    Method for Determining Fees: ITA collects, retains, and expends 
user fees pursuant to delegated authority under the Mutual Educational 
and Cultural Exchange Act as authorized in its annual appropriations 
acts.
    Last year as part of a fee review in compliance with Office of 
Management and Budget Circular No. A-25, the International Trade 
Administration assessed the costs of its programs and the fees it 
collects. In 2016, NTTO increased fees by five percent, explaining the 
increased fees were necessary for NTTO to be in compliance with 
Circular A-25 (81 FR 39895, June 20, 2016). In 2016, and the NTTO sold 
a few more reports in 2016 than it did in previous years.
    For each program, NTTO has a set of subscribers who have been using 
this data, some for decades. Since 2000, fees have increased by 10 
percent or more six times. Most rely upon this data as the only federal 
source to define the international travel market to this country. 
Additionally, the power of the SIAT program is that it can provide 
estimates by world region and country

[[Page 28823]]

of the number of overseas travelers who visit U.S. census regions, 
states, territories, or cities. But the program provides far more than 
an estimated number. The responses to questions asked of the overseas 
visitors also help explain why the visitation numbers have increased or 
declined over the previous years due to the shifts in the traveler 
characteristics of the visitors between the two years. It may be a 
shift in visitors' ports of entry or purpose of trip; changes in the 
mix of first time or repeat visitors, or package or independent 
travelers; shifts in modes of transport used by visitors to travel 
within the country; or a shift to more or fewer destinations visited, 
compared to previous trips.
    Fees are set considering the cost of providing this data. Most of 
the NTTO research is implemented from fixed price contacts. Within the 
contracts are built-in cost adjustments. The NTTO considers the current 
demand for each program by comparing changes from one year to the next 
before setting fees. We also consider if there have been decreases in 
timeliness or quality of service delivery or improvements made to the 
programs like new report formats, more travelers surveyed, or other 
enhancements to the research data provided. The NTTO staff considered 
the purchasing constraints experienced by current or potential 
subscribers (such as limits to purchase by credit card, or sole source/
open bid requirements) and factored in the annual percentage change in 
the Consumer Price Index (used to determine rate of inflation).
    In the analysis of these fees, it was determined that the services 
provided from this report offer special benefits to an identifiable 
recipient beyond those that accrue to the public.
    ITA completed an analysis that calculated the actual cost of 
providing its data services to develop a basis for setting the fee. 
Full cost incorporates direct and indirect costs (including operations 
and maintenance), overhead, and charges for the use of capital 
facilities. ITA also considered additional factors when pricing goods 
and services, including adequacy of cost recovery, affordability, 
available efficiencies, inflation, pricing history, fee elasticity, and 
service delivery alternatives.
    Finally, the NTTO staff members watch what is happening in the 
industry. If our clients' budgets are being cut or increased, this too 
is considered. We watch what is happening in terms of international 
travel to the country as well. If there are large increases in travel 
to the United States, there tends to be corresponding increases in the 
international market. In contrast, in years international travel slows 
or declines, we factor this in when determining fees. Based upon all 
this input, we develop several options for cost increases or decreases 
and determine fees.

Conclusion

    Based on the information provided above, the NTTO believes its 
revised fees are consistent with the objective of OMB Circular A-25 to 
``promote efficient allocation of the nation's resources by 
establishing charges for special benefits provided to the recipient 
that are at least as great as the cost to the U.S. Government of 
providing the special benefits . . . '' OMB Circular A-25(5)(b). 
However, as stated above, we are providing the public with the 
opportunity to comment and will reassess the revised fees as 
appropriate.

    Dated: June 8, 2017.
Isabel Hill,
Director, National Travel & Tourism Office, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2017-13427 Filed 6-23-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P