This year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is May 8-16, and the Partnership for Florida’s Tourism is asking you to “Stand Up and Be Counted” as one of more than 10 million American workers whose job depends on travel.

In recent months the we have successfully organized ourselves to appeal for passage of the Travel Promotion Act, defend meeting, event and incentive travel, identify a face of travel, communicate the value of travel to businesses’ bottom lines, and much more. Incredible things happen when we unite and speak out together.

National Travel and Tourism Week presents us with a terrific opportunity to inform lawmakers, media and local residents just how meaningful this vast industry is.

Today, the US Travel Association provided a toolkit to help you plan National Travel and Tourism Week, including details on staging Travel Rally Day on Tuesday, May 11. Last year, more than 40 cities stepped up to say that “Travel Matters” in their communities. Let’s create even more rallies in Florida this year and shine a spotlight on the benefits of travel.

Thank you for standing up for travel, and we wish you success in your outreach during not just during National Travel and Tourism Week, but every week.

The travel community celebrated a major victory today when President Obama signed into law the first-ever national travel promotion and communications program to attract more international travelers to the U.S. The historic moment, commemorated during a White House signing ceremony, is a major step in addressing America’s decline in attracting overseas visitors to the U.S. during the past decade. 

The Act is in response to worrisome evidence that the U.S. is losing ground to other countries in the global travel market. The U.S. welcomed 2.4 million fewer overseas visitors in 2009 than in 2000, and the failure to simply keep pace with the growth in international long-haul travel since 2000 has cost the U.S. economy an estimated $509 billion in total spending and $32 billion in direct tax receipts, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The Travel Promotion Act will counteract this trend by creating a campaign to promote the United States as a premier destination and explain changing travel security policies to foreign visitors.

“By signing the Travel Promotion Act, President Obama has acted to support the power of travel to serve as an economic stimulant, job generator and diplomatic tool,” said Roger Dow, president & CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “This program will create tens of thousands of American jobs and help reverse negative perceptions about travel to the United States.”
Dow thanks President Obama and Congressional supporters of this legislation, in particular Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), John Ensign (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-10-MA), Roy Blunt (R-7-MO) and Sam Farr (D-17-CA) who championed the bipartisan legislation over the last several years. “The strong bipartisan support for this bill clearly demonstrates consensus on the value of this tax-free stimulus for job creation and economic growth,” Dow said.

“We have already seen the benefits of a public-private partnership in states like California and Florida,” said Caroline Beteta, president & CEO, California Travel & Tourism Commission.

“Destinations and local communities across the country will benefit from a comprehensive national effort to market the U.S.A. brand. The Travel Promotion Act will help keep the United States competitive in the international marketplace.”

Oxford Economics estimates that a successful national promotion will yield $4 billion in new spending annually, create 40,000 new jobs and generate $321 million in new tax revenue each year. The Congressional Budget Office reported that the Travel Promotion Act would reduce the federal deficit by $425 million over ten years.

“Today, America extends a heartfelt ‘Welcome’ to the rest of the world,” said James Rasulo, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company and past national chair of the U.S. Travel Association. “It is a great example of the innovative solutions government and industry can create when they work together toward a common goal,” As former Chairman of U.S. Travel, Mr. Rasulo oversaw the development of the Blueprint to Discover America that identified solutions for improving U.S. visa, entry and promotion programs.

The public-private Corporation for Travel Promotion established by the Travel Promotion Act combines the accountability of the government with the expertise of the private sector. The U.S. Department of Commerce will oversee the Corporation and work with the Departments of State and Homeland Security to nominate an 11-member board comprised of representatives from various segments of the travel community. Once the board is in place, it will select an executive director to run the operations of the Corporation. The Corporation will develop a multi-channel marketing and communications program to attract more international visitors and explain changing travel security policies. 

The initiative will be funded through a matching program featuring up to $100 million in private sector contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the United States. The fee will be collected once every two years in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization. No money is provided by U.S. taxpayers.

Watch President Obama sign the bill here.

It’s time to toast the entire travel community: we’ve achieved an extraordinary feat with passage of the Travel Promotion Act.

While travel promotion isn’t a panacea for our international inbound travel issues – welcoming more visitors also requires continued improvement in visa and entry processes – this is the biggest commitment our government has made to support international travel to our country and the clearest indication to date that Congress is taking travel seriously. It is a monumental achievement for the industry that will pay dividends for all segments and pave the way for future successes in Washington.

With the President expected to sign the bill into law within days, we especially owe thanks to Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Harry Reid (D-NV) and John Ensign (R-NV), and Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), who championed the legislation during the past two sessions of Congress. They so clearly understood the value of this tax-free stimulus for job creation and economic growth. President Obama, who was a co-sponsor of the legislation as a Senator during the previous Congress, has long understood the importance of this program for improving America’s image around the world.

Learn more about the Travel Promotion Act.