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President Obama Signs the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 into Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, March 4, 2010

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President Obama Signs the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 Into Law

Secretary Locke committed to support the travel and tourism industry

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President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) into law today, putting into place a new public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the nation’s travel and tourism industry.

The U.S. Department of Commerce stands ready to work with the private sector to promote international travel to the United States. “When international visitors come to the United States they spend money on a wide range of goods and services that support U.S. jobs,” said Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. “Creating a global tourism promotion program to encourage international visitors to vacation in America will help spur economic growth and create more jobs.”

Travel and tourism is the top services export for the United States totaling $142 billion and supporting more than one million American jobs.

Overseas visitors spend an average of $4,500 per person, per trip in the United States. Oxford Economics estimates the travel promotion program under the Travel Promotion Act will generate $4 billion in new visitor spending and 40,000 new jobs. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the program will reduce the federal budget deficit by $425 million in the next 10 years.

Secretary Locke will appoint an 11-person Board of Directors that will be charged with establishing the nonprofit Corporation for Travel Promotion to oversee the development and implementation of a global marketing and promotion campaign aimed at increasing the number of international visitors to the United States. The Corporation for Travel Promotion will be funded through fees collected from international travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries matched by private sector contributions.