The U.S. Senate Wednesday passed the Travel Promotion Act, which will establish a formal marketing program by which to promote the United States as a destination to international travelers to the benefit of the U.S. economy. The bill will now move to the House of Representatives, where it will face a vote later this fall.

"The Senate passage of the Travel Promotion Act is a significant event," American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) President and CEO Joe McInerney said in a statement, in support of the legislation. "We're optimistic that the House will quickly follow suit later this year with its own vote on this important piece of job-creating legislation."

Once signed into law, the Travel Promotion Act will create a public-private partnership with a budget of up to $200 million annually—funded by a $10 fee on foreign travelers from countries that do not pay for a visa to enter the United States—for the purpose of attracting international travelers to the United States.

A bi-partisan effort supported by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) along with Senators Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the Travel Promotion Act would result in advertisements and information for overseas travelers focusing in many instances on communicating America's security policies, which have been perceived as an impediment to incoming international travel since Sept. 11.

The House version of the bill, which was introduced in June, is sponsored by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) with support from Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and currently has 68 cosponsors. This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy