Congress Grants $50 Million For Tourism Marketing Campaign

February 14, 2003

Congress Grants $50 Million For Tourism Marketing Campaign
Late Thursday night the U.S. Congress approved a massive $397 billion spending bill that appropriates $50 million to support an international tourism marketing campaign.

The expenditure will be the largest amount ever earmarked for a marketing campaign encouraging inbound international travel. It will allow the government to establish the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to help guide the marketing efforts.

"This is the first substantial appropriation to promote international tourism to the United States since 1991," said NTA Legislative Counsel Jim Santini.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 338 to 83 to clear the bill and the Senate later followed with a passing of the bill by a vote of 76 to 20.