15 U.S. Code § 9803 - Responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for travel and tourism

(a) Visitation goals

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism (referred to in this section as the “Assistant Secretary”) shall—

(1) after consultation with the travel and tourism industry, work with the Travel Promotion Committee and the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to establish an annual goal, consistent with the goals of the travel and tourism strategy developed pursuant to section 9804(1) of this title, for—

(A) the number of international visitors to the United States; and

(B) the value of travel and tourism commerce;

(2) develop recommendations for achieving the annual goals established pursuant to paragraph (1);

(3) ensure that travel and tourism policy is developed in consultation with—

(A) the Tourism Policy Council;

(B) the Secretary of State;

(C) the Secretary of Homeland Security;

(D) the Corporation for Travel Promotion;

(E) the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board; and

(F) travel and tourism industry representatives, including public and private destination marketing organizations, travel and tourism suppliers, gig economy representatives, and labor representatives from these industries;

(4) establish short, medium, and long-term timelines for implementing the recommendations developed pursuant to paragraph (2);

(5) conduct Federal agency needs assessments, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget and other relevant Federal agencies, to identify the resources, statutory or regulatory changes, and private sector engagement needed to achieve the annual visitation goals; and

(6) provide assessments and recommendations to—

(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate;

(B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and

(C) the public through a publicly accessible website.

(b) Domestic travel and tourism

The Assistant Secretary, to the extent feasible, shall—

(1) evaluate, on an ongoing basis, domestic policy options for supporting competitiveness with respect to the strengths, weaknesses, and growth of the domestic travel industry;

(2) develop recommendations and goals to support and enhance domestic tourism, separated by business and leisure; and

(3) engage public and private stakeholders to support domestic tourism.

(c) Workforce

The Assistant Secretary shall—

(1) consult with the Secretary of Labor to develop strategies and best practices for improving the timeliness and reliability of travel and tourism workforce data;

(2) work with the Secretary of Labor and the Bureau of Economic Analysis to improve travel and tourism industry data;

(3) provide recommendations for policy enhancements and efficiencies; and

(4) provide policy recommendations regarding the gig economy as it relates to travel and tourism.

(d) Facilitation of international business travel

The Assistant Secretary, in coordination with relevant Federal agencies, shall strive to increase and facilitate international business travel to the United States and ensure competitiveness by—

(1) facilitating large meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions in the United States;

(2) emphasizing rural and other destinations in the United States that are rich in cultural heritage or ecological tourism, among other uniquely American destinations, as locations for hosting international meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions; and

(3) facilitating sports and recreation events and activities in the United States.

(e) Recovery strategies

(1) In general

Not later than 1 year after amounts are appropriated to the Department of Commerce to accomplish the purposes of this section, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the entities referred to in subsection (a)(3), shall develop recovery strategies for the travel and tourism industry in response to the economic impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic and in anticipation of other unpredictable catastrophic events that would significantly affect the travel and tourism industry, such as hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks, and pandemics.

(2) Cost-benefit analysis

In developing the recovery strategies under paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary shall conduct cost-benefit analyses that take into account the health and economic effects of public health mitigation measures on the travel and tourism industry.

(f) Reporting requirements

(1) Assistant Secretary

The Assistant Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations, shall produce an annual forecasting report on the travel and tourism industry, which shall include current and anticipated—

(A) domestic employment needs;

(B) international inbound volume and spending, taking into account the lasting effects of the COVID–19 public health emergency and the impact of the recovery strategy implemented pursuant to subsection (e)(1); and

(C) domestic volume and spending, including Federal and State public land travel and tourism data.

(2) Bureau of Economic Analysis

The Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, subject to the availability of appropriations and to the extent feasible, should make quarterly updates to the Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts, including—

(A) State-level travel and tourism spending data;

(B) travel and tourism workforce data for full-time and part-time employment; and

(C) Federal and State public lands outdoor recreational activity and tourism spending data.

(3) National Travel and Tourism Office

The Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office—

(A) in partnership with the Bureau of Economic Analysis and other relevant Federal agencies, shall provide a monthly report on international arrival and spending data to—

(i) the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board; and

(ii) the public through a publicly accessible website; and

(B) shall include questions in the Survey of International Air Travelers regarding wait-times, visits to public lands, and State data, to the extent applicable.

(Pub. L. 117–328, div. BB, title VI, § 605, Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 5567.)