Travel Promotion Act Just a Few Steps Away

It's been more than two years since a bill to promote international travel to the United States first was introduced in the U.S. Congress, and the legislation now is closer to passage than it ever has been before – just one vote and one signature away.

Since the Travel Promotion Act first was introduced, it's undergone several revisions and votes in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Now, with a new Congress and new president in place since the lobbying for the bill first began, it's only two steps away from becoming law.

The House passed the latest version of the bill 358-66 Oct. 7, and a legislative procedure requires it to return to the Senate for one more vote. As of press time, that vote had not been scheduled.

In September, the Senate passed the legislation 79-19 after having been stalled since June.

“The need for travel promotion has never been greater,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Assn. “As the recent vote of the Intl. Olympic Committee demonstrated (by rejecting Chicago in favor of Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Games), the United States must invest in better explaining its security policies and attracting foreign travelers. The Travel Promotion Act is a win-win for our economic and diplomatic efforts.”

Since it was first introduced, the bill has received sweeping support from industry associations and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

“Recent votes by Congress on the Travel Promotion Act firmly demonstrate that our lawmakers recognize that the U.S. travel and hospitality industries create jobs,” said Joseph A. McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. “After the next Senate vote and President Obama has an opportunity to sign the bill, the wheels will be in motion to start aggressively promoting our nation to international visitors, and to fuel up the economic engine of tourism.”

According to U.S. Travel, the bill, modeled after state-level programs, will be funded through a matching program featuring up to $100 million in private sector contributions and a $10 fee levied on foreign travelers who do not have to pay for visas to enter the United States.

The fee is collected once every two years in conjunction with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security's Electronic System for Travel Authorization. U.S. taxpayers will pay no portion of the funding.

The bill began as one of the goals of the Discover America Partnership, a U.S. Travel and Travel Business Roundtable initiative formed to strengthen America's image abroad that later was absorbed by U.S. Travel.

“For the past several years, members of AH&LA, along with the lodging and travel industries, have worked tirelessly to pass this bill,” McInerney said.

Once the bill is signed into law, the program will create an estimated 40,000 jobs in the United States and drive $4 billion in new consumer spending, according to Oxford Economics. During the next 10 years, the program could reduce the federal budget deficit by $425 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office.