Martinez says U.S., Florida need travel promotion law

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) today encouraged his colleagues to swiftly approve the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, an effort to allow the U.S. travel and tourism industry to better promote international travel to the U.S. Martinez noted that international visits to the U.S. have steadily declined since 2000.

 

“Last year the U.S. had 633,000 fewer international travelers than we had in the year 2000. Florida has taken a harder hit, losing 1.3 million visitors over that same period of time,” said Martinez speaking on the Senate floor during debate. “The Travel Promotion act will enable the U.S. to become its own ambassador by establishing a public-private campaign to promote tourism abroad. It will benefit our economy, it will complement our nation’s diplomatic efforts, and perhaps most importantly, it will help to create new jobs.”

 

Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. tourism industry has experienced an estimated 58 million in lost arrivals, $182 billion dollars in lost spending, $27 billion in lost tax receipts, and $47 billion in lost payroll, Martinez said.

 

“The average international traveler spends $4,500 per visit,” Martinez stated. “Promoting international tourism is something most other nations do already including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. It’s time we started competing.”

 

The House approved the Travel Promotion Act in 2008, and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week. The measure creates a non-profit organization to promote and attract international travels to the U.S. The campaign program would be paid for by private sector contributions and visa fees paid by foreign tourists.