Travel Promotion Act

May 21, 2009

MSNBC: Travel to U.S. Expected to Drop 8 Percent

Excerpt: Foreign travel to the United States is forecast to fall 8 percent in 2009, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday, as the Senate voted to create a new travel promotion program…The forecast prepared for the Commerce Department by IHS Global Insight Inc expects foreign travel to the United States to rebound 3 percent in 2010 and then increase 5 percent annually to a record 64 million visitors in 2013. 'The numbers are a reminder that while the current global economic climate is difficult, more business sectors, like travel and tourism, are seeing glimmers of hope on the horizon,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a bill to create an independent, nonprofit corporation to run a new travel promotion campaign.

Senator Bryon Dorgan, one of the bill's sponsors, said in a statement the program would be funded by a small fee paid by foreign travelers visiting the United States and matching contributions from the travel industry.