Washington, DC – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), Co-Chair of the Travel and Tourism Caucus, issued the following statement after the House Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously passed H.R. 6965, the Visit America Act at today’s markup.

Introduced in March 2022 by Rep. Titus, this legislation would create an assistant secretary position within the Department of Commerce focused on bolstering the United States travel and tourism industry. This new office would coordinate a strategy across multiple federal agencies and position cities in the United States, including Las Vegas, as hosts for large meetings, conferences, and exhibitions.

“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, or the bright lights of The Strip and Downtown, travel and tourism are the driving force of our economy,” said Rep. Titus. “We were hit harder than anywhere else during the pandemic. Although we’re coming back, I introduced the Visit America Act so that our hospitality economy and ancillary businesses can continue to bounce back in a sustainable fashion.”

“Our Visit America Act is directed at full development and implementation of a nationally-coordinated strategy to strengthen American travel and tourism,” said Rep. Case. “This industry delivers solid jobs and other benefits to communities across our country, and has great capacity to grow those benefits through joint efforts by government and the private sector, just as other countries do with great success. This effort is especially important as travel and tourism recovers from the heaviest impacts on any segment of our economy by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Case, a former travel and tourism executive with industry leader Outrigger Enterprises headquartered in Waikīkī, said, “the bill would ensure a coordinated, high-level response to assist businesses that support travel and tourism, as well as local and state economies, and will fully engage the federal government in pursing long-term success and growth.”

Background

The United States is the only member of the G20 international economic forum that does not have a high-ranking official focused on the tourism sector. Most G20 nations have a minister or secretary at the cabinet level.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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