After all the politics and views regarding the government’s $1.7 trillion funding package, it could be easy to miss some budget items in the 4,155-page bill. We’re happy to report that the aggregate spending bill includes big wins for both travelers and the travel industry.
Among the highlights is a new assistant secretary of state position in the US Department of Commerce that will focus on the country. The tourism industry is worth 1.1 trillion USD.
“This is a huge win for tourists, the travel industry, and the U.S. economy,” said US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “Thanks to Congress’s bipartisan and bicameral leadership team, the United States will now join all of the G20 countries with a senior federal official focused on travel.”
The new location “will play an important role as we work with the government to reduce visitor visa wait times, modernize security checks, and leverage new technologies to help commuting becomes more seamless and safer,” added Freeman.
USTA is the leading advocate for this new federal position — which it says will highlight the industry’s positive impact on the U.S. economy and help the United States rebuild its global competitiveness. .
The growth of tourism is part of the bipartisan Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
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rosen’s office outlines additional travel features of the law such as formal authorization to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, collection of travel and domestic travel data, mandatory tourism strategy development, and national travel agency every 10 years and report on the pandemic’s impact on tourism and the tourism industry. Rosen’s office further noted that previously, there was no one in the federal government responsible for developing and coordinating the national tourism strategy. The bill would establish this for the first time.
The travel component of the spending bill would also provide congressional oversight to address excessive visa wait times that currently average more than 400 days for tourist visa appointments. The Forecast of the American Travel Association that by 2023, US businesses will attract 6.6 million fewer international visitors and lose $11.6 billion in spending; This is because international travelers are not able to get tourist visas in time to get to the United States due to this long waiting time.
Related: Legislation that could withdraw credit card rewards is set to pass Congress
The bill just passed in the Senate ahead of Friday’s deadline and is expected to pass in the House of Representatives tonight; it will then be sent to President Joe Biden for his approval. The president is expected to sign it as soon as it arrives on his desk.
