Industry pushes new visitor, tourism industry fees

[September 09, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers are working together at least one bipartisan venture before turning their full attention to health care.

The Senate appears poised to pass a bill late Wednesday designed to boost the number of international travelers to the U.S.

The legislation would establish a new nonprofit corporation to coordinate programs promoting international travel to the U.S. A $10 assessment would be paid by millions of international visitors to help fund the corporation's work.

The travel industry is highly supportive of the bill, as are lawmakers from some of the states hardest hit by the recession, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"When tourism is hurt, Nevada hurts. The entire state suffers," Reid said. "Nevada is not alone."

Senators, citing data from industry sources, said ramped up marketing efforts would lead to an additional 1.6 million international travelers to the U.S. annually, and they said those travelers spend about $4,500 per visit.

About 58 million international travelers visited the U.S. last year. Industry officials say millions of potential visitors are looking elsewhere because of enhanced border security after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks and negative foreign press articles.

More than 51 million international visitors came to the U.S. in 2000. That number dropped to 41 million in 2003 but has gradually improved since then, according to the Commerce Department. Still, the nation has lost market share, lawmakers argued.

Many potential visitors just don't feel they're welcome in the U.S., and that's a mindset the private sector can't change by itself, said Geoff Freeman, a senior vice president at the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group.

The private sector spends billions of dollars promoting destinations within the United States. Freeman said that hotels and resorts would continue to do so and that the travel industry was not relying on the government to subsidize those costs. Indeed, much of the money for the promotional efforts would come from fees paid by the travel industry. The rest would come from the $10 fee on international visitors.

The United States began requiring people who don't need visas to enter the country to register online at least 72 hours before travel and renew their registration every two years. If the new proposal becomes law, it would require people to pay the $10 fee when they register.

The European Union has said that some U.S. travelers to Europe could face retaliatory fees.

The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the legislation would reduce the federal deficit by $425 million over the next decade.

[Associated Press; By KEVIN FREKING]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.