President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act into law.
The law is the first-ever national travel promotion and communications program to attract more international travelers to the U.S.
The act is in response to numbers that show 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 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 (USTA). The act will help create a campaign to promote the U.S. 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 USTA.
