By a vote of 347-57, the House of Representatives Tuesday evening passed the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 (HR4450) which reauthorizes the successful Brand USA tourism promotion program for five additional years. The bill was authored by Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vermont). The bill passed with an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the face of strong opposition from the Club for Growth. Cosponsored by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), the bill was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week. Welch and Bilirakis are members of the committee. Brand USA is a voluntary public-private partnership that attracts international visitors to Vermont and the rest of the country through a global marketing campaign. The program is funded at no cost to the taxpayer through private sector contributions matched by fees collected from international visitors through the Visa Waiver Program.
“Brand USA is making a tremendous contribution to the tourism sector of the American economy, including in Vermont” said Welch. “At no cost to the taxpayer, the marketing initiatives of this program are boosting international visits and supporting tourism jobs in Vermont and across the country. I am pleased that our bill is receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.”
Welch was joined by state tourism leaders, including Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing, Megan Smith, and Vermont Ski Area Association President Parker Riehle.
"Brand USA enables the State of Vermont to efficiently and effectively grow its reach within the international market, with a focus on results," Megan Smith, Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing said. "Most recently, we introduced Vermont to the Chinese market via a Discover New England website in partnership with Brand USA. We are also implementing a foliage season marketing campaign in Quebec and Ontario with the support of industry partners, Orbitz and Brand USA."
"Brand USA has been a crucial partner in our efforts to attract international visitors to Vermont's ski areas," said Ski Vermont President Parker Riehle. "The reauthorization of this program is a key ingredient to boosting Vermont's critically important tourism economy and we are extremely grateful to Congressman Welch for leading this bipartisan effort."
Arecent studyby Oxford Economics, estimates that Brand USA attracted 1.1 million additional visitors to the U.S. in 2013, who spent $3.4 billion. It’s estimated that each overseas visitor to the United States spends an average of $4,300 in the country. According to the Vermont Department of Tourism, tourism contributed $1.7 billion of economic activity in Vermont in 2013, with almost 14 million visitors.
Source: Welch's office 7.18.2014