The US will establish its first tourism-focused assistant secretary
position as part of the US$1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by
Congress Friday.
The massive bill includes the Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act, which
establishes the position of assistant secretary of travel and tourism in
the US Department of Commerce, among other travel industry priorities.
American Society of Travel Advisors' (ASTA) executive vice president
for advocacy, Eben Peck, said that creating a high-level leadership
position within the federal government “would protect the industry from
unnecessary setbacks due to conflicting and confusing policy decisions
in the future,” and he said this person would “implement national
strategies and policies that grow travel”.
“This is a tremendous win for travellers, the travel industry, and
America’s economy,” said US Travel CEO Geoff Freeman. “The assistant
secretary will play an important role as we partner with government to
lower visitor visa wait times, modernise security screening and leverage
new technologies to make travel more seamless and secure.”
Both Peck and Freeman pointed out that the US is the only G20 country
without a federal agency or cabinet-level official in charge of tourism
policy.
Most of the world's most visited countries, including France, Italy,
Thailand, Spain and neighboring Canada and Mexico, have high-level
government officials who oversee tourism. Travel industry leaders here
say the lack of a similar official in the US has been a hindrance to
growth.
Source: Travel Weekly