U.S. Reps. Don Young (Alaska), Dina Titus (Nevada), and Ed Case (Hawaii) introduced the Visit America Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that would formally authorize the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and create an assistant secretary position within the Department of Commerce focused on coordinating America’s travel and tourism industry across federal agencies. The bill is the House companion to the Senate legislation introduced by several senators including Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
The bill implements measures to support the U.S. travel and tourism industry and addresses the declining percentage of international visitors to the United States. The bill would require the Commerce Department to develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy with annual goals for the number of international visitors to the United States and for travel exports.
The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism role would hold responsibilities that include setting an annual goal for the number of international visitors to the United States, providing support for improved visitor visa processing, and promoting travel exports abroad.
Congressman Don Young:
“With geography, outdoor recreation, history, and culture unlike any other state, Alaska continues to be one of our country’s most popular tourist destinations. COVID-19 hit Alaska’s small businesses hard, and we should be doing all we can to help our tourism sector bounce back from the pandemic’s devastation. I am proud to help introduce the bipartisan Visit America Act, which will ensure the Department of Commerce is laser-focused on the unique needs of Alaska’s tourism industry and the families it supports. Alaska is open for business – whether you are traveling here for work or vacation, we can’t wait to see you!”
The assistant secretary also would develop and implement a COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy to assist the recovery of the U.S. travel and tourism industry from travel restrictions brought upon by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also provides statutory authority for the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which will aid in the pandemic recovery strategy.
