Washington, DC - Reps. Dina Titus (NV-01), Ed Case (HI-01), Don Young (AK) today introduced the Visit America Act. This bipartisan legislation 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 Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

“Las Vegas welcomes nearly 43 million visitors every year from all over the world who come here to work and to play. Whether it’s for the scenic desert landscapes, outdoor recreation at Lake Mead, or the bright lights of The Strip and Downtown, travel and tourism are the driving force of our economy,” said Rep. Dina Titus. “Southern Nevada was hit harder than anywhere during COVID-19. At the height of the pandemic, Las Vegas unemployment reached over 33%. I’m sponsoring the Visit America Act to help our community and families recover from this crisis and make us more resilient to future downturns.”

"With geography, outdoor recreation, history, and culture unlike any other state, Alaska continues to be one of our country's most popular tourist destinations,” said Rep. Don Young. “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!"

“As our country and the world emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must stay fully focused on renewing full confidence in a return to normalcy in one of our most hard-hit industries, leisure and business travel and tourism,” said Congressman Ed Case. “The Visit America Act will assist greatly by coordinating the necessary national effort to stabilize and recover. This is critical to areas like my Hawai’i, where travel and tourism remains our main economic engine and the generator of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in local and state revenue.”