President Barack Obama signed into law U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act this week.
Bilirakis bill reauthorizes Brand USA, a public-private partnership that encourages tourists to come to the United States. Advocates insist Brand USA results in more than 1.1 million international tourists visiting the United States, creating $3.4 billion in spending, almost $1 billion in government revenue at the federal, state and local levels, and supporting 53,000 new jobs.
Tourism is an integral part of our economy especially in Florida, Bilirakis noted on Wednesday. Increased tourism means more American and Floridian jobs. My bill means job growth without utilizing a cent of taxpayer money. In fact, it lowers the deficit. Millions of Americans across the country are still struggling, and Brand USA reauthorization is a jobs bill with a proven track record of success.
I am pleased my initiative has become law, Bilirakis added. It is a big win for all Americans in the service and tourism industries, and Floridians all across the state, including the Tampa Bay area. Common-sense solutions like these to boost the economy and create jobs will spur our slow economic recovery.
But opponents of the measure pointed to Brand USA relying on monies from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), taxing international travelers. Back in 2012, two conservatives in the U.S. Senate -- then-U.S. Sen Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. -- found major problems with Brand USA, including waste and patronage issues.
Funding for Brand USA from fees and taxes collected from international visitors -- around $100 million -- was left out of the budget U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee, proposed back in April.
This budget recommends ending these subsidies and eliminating the new agency because it is not a core responsibility of the federal government to pay for and conduct advertising campaigns for any industry, Ryan noted in the memo unveiling the proposal. Moreover, the travel industry can and should pay for the advertising that it benefits from.
Pointing to a study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) which showed Brand USA will reduce the deficit by $231 million, Bilirakis said Congress should continue to support it and took on Ryan. Pointing to his home state, Bilirakis noted that tourism helps drive the Florida economy, leading to more than 1 million jobs and almost $71.5 billion in spending. Looking at the national picture, Bilirakis pointed out that international tourism added more than $180 billion to the national economy.
Congress agreed with Bilirakis when his bill came to the House floor back in July, passing 347-57. The opposition came from the Republican ranks, including Ryan. The only member of the Florida delegation to break with Bilirakis was U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.
The Senate version was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and garnered the support of both U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Bilirakis bill was eventually included in a continuing appropriations act passed by the Senate on Monday.
The bill won the support of the tourism industry.
The renewal of Brand USA is a huge victory not only for the Greater Tampa-Clearwater area, but for Florida and the entire country, said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow on Wednesday. Congressman Bilirakis was instrumental in getting huge majorities in both the House and Senate to understand that international travel is an economic powerhouse for communities large and small in all 50 states. He and his constituents should be very proud of this achievement.
Visit Florida is a proud supporter of Brand USAs programs to increase international visitation, having been one of its original founding partners, said Will Seccombe, the president and CEO of Visit Florida, after Obama signed the bill into law on Wednesday. In 2013, one in five international visitors to the U.S. came to Florida, with the Sunshine State welcoming nearly 15 million international travelers from 186 countries who spent more than $16 billion. Through our continued partnership with Brand USA, we look forward to building on this momentum to make Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
