Schatz, Senators Introduce Legislation to Boost Tourism
Legislation Will Reauthorize Brand USA and Help Attract International Visitors
Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation, helped introduce the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act, legislation to reauthorize Brand USA, a successful travel promotion program aimed at boosting international tourism to the United States. Schatz joined 24 other Senators in introducing the legislation that promotes Hawai‘i and other states and U.S. territories as premier destinations for international visitors.
“Travelers to Hawai‘i spend billions of dollars that create jobs within the visitor industry, as well as jobs and small businesses that support our entire local economy,” Senator Schatz said. “Brand USA has proven to be a successful program, bringing in 1.1 million more international trips to the United States last year. Our legislation will make sure this program continues and helps promote Hawai‘i as a world-class visitor destination.”
According to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Hawai‘i’s tourism industry generated $14.5 billion in total annual visitor spending in 2013, and supported 168,000 jobs.
Brand USA is a non-profit private-public partnership – authorized by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 – dedicated to increasing inbound international travel to the United States. The program is funded by fees paid by international visitors and matching contributions by the private sector, not taxpayer dollars. Last year, Brand USA increased inbound travel by 2.3 percent, resulting in 1.1 million additional trips and supported more than 53,000 U.S. jobs.
The Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act is cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), David Vitter (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Last month, Schatz was named Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation and pledged his commitment to reauthorizing Brand USA.
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