Americans are losing international tourists and their money to other countries. Not only are we losing money, but we are also losing thousands of jobs. International travelers, which include Canadians, make up only a tenth of visitors to Florida, although they stay longer and spend more money than American visitors to Florida.
In an attempt to bring in more international tourists, United States tourism officials are pushing to pass the Travel Promotion Act. This bill, which is in Congress, is meant to spread advertising campaigns all over the world, and bring relief to the difficult processes off getting into the country, thus making foreigners feel more welcome. We need to balance security measures with the need to make traveling to the United States less complicated.
There is a very good chance the new bill will get passed. Forty-eight senators are co-sponsoring the Travel Promotion Act, which means they have a lot of confidence in it and are willing to attach their names to it. Once some controversial amendments are dealt with, the Senate and the House is expected to pass the bill. The Travel Promotion Act will pay for itself by applying a $10 charge to every foreign visitor, and will bring in $100 million per year. This money will also be matched from private gifts from the tourism industry, and will include services such as free ads and brochures. Most of the supporters of the bill believe that international travelers that spend thousands of dollars wouldn’t notice an extra $10 fee.