For Immediate Release:     
March 4, 2010


                   Destination DC Applauds Enactment of Bipartisan Travel Promotion Act
President Obama signs legislation designed to boost international travel and visitor spending

(Washington, DC)…Destination DC welcomed news from the White House that President Obama today signed the Travel Promotion Act, taking a significant step to create economic growth and thousands of new jobs by welcoming millions more international travelers to the United States. The Travel Promotion Act establishes a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination and communicate U.S. security and entry policies.
 
“The Travel Promotion Act finally starts to put the United States on a competitive footing in the very important global tourism business. As the nation’s capital, we hope to leverage exposure for the country into visits to our city,” said Elliott Ferguson, president & CEO, Destination DC. “Tourism is extremely critical to DC’s healthy economy – visitors spend more than $5.6 billion dollars here annually, and a quarter of that comes from international visitors. “

 “This is a historic victory for the U.S. economy and the one in eight American workers whose jobs depend on travel,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.  “The United States Congress has sent a clear message that travel is a high priority to our nation and that tangible steps must be taken to increase travel to and within the United States. We are extremely grateful to the bill’s champions: Senators Reid, Dorgan, Ensign and Klobuchar in the Senate and Representatives Delahunt, Blunt and Farr in the House.” 

According to analysis by Oxford Economics, the bill is estimated to drive $4 billion in new consumer spending annually, provide $321 million in new federal tax revenue each year and create 40,000 U.S. jobs nationwide. Further, it is expected to reduce the federal budget deficit by $425 million over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. 

As the nation's capital and a top destination for international travel, Washington, DC is well-positioned to benefit from the new law. In 2008, international travel to Washington, DC grew 23%, fueled by factors such as the favorable exchange rate and the popularity of the new First Family. While international travelers make up just 10 percent of overall visitors to DC, they are responsible for nearly a quarter of total visitor spending.

The Travel Promotion Act is modeled after successful state-level initiatives and is 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 is 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.

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Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. destinationdc.com.

The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $770 billion travel industry. U.S. Travel’s mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.