[Travelandtourism] Senate vote on Travel Promotion Act Imminent

[cheryl echevarria]

Senate vote on Travel Promotion Act imminent

By: Bill Poling
February 25, 2010

The Travel Promotion Act reached the top of the Senate's agenda Thursday 
morning, but a vote is not expected until Thursday evening or Friday, 
because many senators are attending President Obama's Health Care Summit.

Procedural and scheduling delays aside, industry officials expect the 
measure to pass, setting the stage for the development of a public-private 
body, the proposed Corporation for Travel Promotion, to market the U.S. as a 
travel destination in foreign countries.

Passage would mark a major milestone for the travel industry, which has 
lobbied for years to get the federal government involved in tourism 
promotion, matching the efforts of government tourist offices in virtually 
all other developed countries.

"We ought to be engaged in this process," Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said 
during Wednesday's session.

Support for the measure has been helped by the message that increased 
expenditures by foreign visitors generate state and federal tax revenue and 
supports jobs

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10