TIA’s efforts, working in concert with other travel industry organizations, yielded a second consecutive Congressional appropriation for international marketing of travel to the U.S. On Saturday, November 20th, Congress approved an omnibus spending package that included $10 million to build upon current U.S. government efforts to promote the U.S. as an international travel destination.
“The travel industry is grateful for the efforts of House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young,” TIA President & CEO William S. Norman said. TIA had activated its Travel Industry Advocates Network members in Florida to contact Chairman Young and urge his support of the new funding. Norman also thanked Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens for his ongoing support of international marketing campaigns through his authorship of the legislation that led to passage of the $10 million in new funding. “The timing couldn’t be better as the current government-funded marketing initiative in the UK gets underway,” Norman added.

TIA helped kick off the U.S. Department of Commerce campaign through a joint news conference November 8th at World Travel Market in London. The Department is also using TIA’s SeeAmerica.org.UK
consumer website as the call to action for its UK campaign. The appropriation is an important step toward the travel industry’s goal of substantial annual government support for international marketing.

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