House taps foreign visitors for tourism program

WASHINGTON — How does the House figure to lure more international tourists to the United States? By charging those who visit $10 apiece.

The money will then help finance new promotional efforts aimed at attracting more tourists — at least that’s the idea behind a bill the House approved Wednesday. The Senate passed a similar plan earlier this year.

The House legislation, which passed 358-66, will establish a nonprofit corporation that would oversee international marketing efforts.

About 58 million international travelers visited the U.S. last year. Industry officials say millions of potential visitors are looking elsewhere because of enhanced border security after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks and because of negative coverage from foreign media outlets.

“Every part of the United States has something special to offer,” said Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif. “Yet we never take advantage of telling anybody overseas about that. You watch television today and there’s countries all over the world advertising for you to come there. We’re not doing that. This allows us to do that, but with private money, not taxpayer money.”

Much of the money for the promotional efforts will come from fees paid by the travel industry. The rest would come from the $10 fee on international visitors.

The United States began requiring people who don’t need visas to register online at least 72 hours before travel and to renew their registration every two years. If the House proposal becomes law, it would require people to pay the $10 fee when they register.

The European Union has said that some U.S. travelers to Europe could face retaliatory fees. But Farr said the U.S. fee is less than what many other countries charge U.S. visitors.

Lawmakers from congressional districts that rely on tourism rallied for the bill. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said the U.S. lost 200,000 tourism-related jobs last year, and her district was particularly hit hard. She said economists project that every dollar spent on the proposed program will bring an additional $3 to the U.S. through greater spending by international visitors.

However, the Club for Growth, a fundraising group that supports conservatives, urged lawmakers to reject the bill.

“This inefficient allocation of money would prevent tourists from spending that same money on shopping, food and other expenses,” the organization said.

A far better alternative, the Club for Growth said, would be to cut the corporate income taxes for the tourism industry.