USC Subchapter II

in effect

22 U.S.C. § 2122 Powers and duties of Secretary of Commerce

In order to carry out the national tourism policy established in section 2121(b) of this title and by the United States National Tourism Organization Act of 1996, the Secretary of Commerce (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan to perform critical tourism functions which, in the determination of the Secretary, are not being carried out by the United States National Tourism Organization or other private sector entities or State governments. Such plan may include programs to— (1) collect and publish comprehensive international travel and tourism statistics and other marketing information; (2) design, implement, and publish international travel and tourism forecasting models; (3) facilitate the reduction or elimination of barriers to international travel and tourism; and (4) work with the United States National Tourism Organization, the Tourism Policy Council, State tourism agencies, and Federal agencies in—(A) coordinating the Federal implementation of a national travel and tourism policy; (B) representing the United States’ international travel and tourism interests to foreign governments; and (C) maintaining United States participation in international travel and tourism trade shows and fairs until such activities can be transferred to such Organization and other private sector entities.

22 U.S.C. § 2123 Office of Travel Promotion

(a) Office establishedThere is established within the Department of Commerce an office to be known as the Office of Travel Promotion. (b) Director(1) AppointmentThe Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by the Secretary. (2) QualificationsThe Director shall be a citizen of the United States and have experience in a field directly related to the promotion of travel to and within the United States. (3) DutiesThe Director shall be responsible for ensuring the office is carrying out its functions effectively and shall report to the Secretary. (c) FunctionsThe Office shall—(1) serve as liaison to the Corporation for Travel Promotion established by subsection (b) of section 11 of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 11 See References in Text note below. and support and encourage the development of programs to increase the number of international visitors to the United States for business, leisure, educational, medical, exchange, and other purposes; (2) work with the Corporation, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security—(A) to disseminate information more effectively to potential international visitors about documentation and procedures required for admission to the United States as a visitor; (B) to ensure that arriving international visitors are generally welcomed with accurate information and in an inviting manner; (C) to collect accurate data on the total number of international visitors that visit each State; and (D) enhance the entry and departure experience for international visitors through the use of advertising, signage, and customer service; and (3) support State, regional, and private sector initiatives to promote travel to and within the United States. (d) Reports to CongressWithin a year after March 4, 2010, and periodically thereafter as appropriate, the Secretary shall transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, and the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs describing the Office’s work with the Corporation, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out subsection (c)(2).

22 U.S.C. § 2123a Research program

(a) In generalThe Office of Travel and Tourism Industries shall expand and continue its research and development activities in connection with the promotion of international travel to the United States, including—(1) expanding access to the official Mexican travel surveys data to provide the States with traveler characteristics and visitation estimates for targeted marketing programs; (2) expanding the number of inbound air travelers sampled by the Commerce Department’s Survey of International Travelers to reach a 1 percent sample size and revising the design and format of questionnaires to accommodate a new survey instrument, improve response rates to at least double the number of States and cities with reliable international visitor estimates and improve market coverage; (3) developing estimates of international travel exports (expenditures) on a State-by-State basis to enable each State to compare its comparative position to national totals and other States; (4) evaluate the success of the Corporation in achieving its objectives and carrying out the purposes of section 2131 of this title; and (5) research to support the annual reports required by section 2123(d) of this title. (b) Authorization of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.