September 10, 2009 — The U.S. Senate gave its strong support to tourism promotion this week, voting 80 to 19 on Sept. 9 in favor of the NRA-supported Travel Promotion Act.

The Travel Promotion Act creates a public-private campaign to market the United States as a premier travel destination and increase the number of international visitors to the United States.

This is important to restaurateurs because up to 40 percent of annual sales for some segments of the restaurant industry are attributable to travelers, with international visitors spending more time and more money per visit than domestic travelers. International visitor arrivals to the U.S. have been declining while visits to other countries have been increasing over the last eight years.

The National Restaurant Association has long supported this legislation as a way to attract more international visitors and establish the United States as a premier travel destination. Roughly half of all travelers report that they dine out when they travel. Dining out is the most popular activity planned after tourists arrive at a destination, research shows.

Now the House needs to act on the bill. The National Restaurant Association strongly encourages the House to take up the Travel Promotion Act to help create jobs and promote the U.S. as a premier travel destination.

Print this article

« Go back to the news list