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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: Industry pushes new visitor, tourism industry fees By KEVIN FREKING,Associated Press Writer AP - Wednesday, September 9 WASHINGTON - Members of Congress would like to attract more international travelers to the United States, but the welcome mat would come with a $10 price tag. ADVERTISEMENT The Senate took up legislation Tuesday to establish a nonprofit corporation that would coordinate programs promoting international travel to the U.S. Millions of visitors would be charged the $10 assessment to help fund the corporation. The bipartisan bill, which has 53 co-sponsors, cleared a key hurdle when senators approved a motion 80-19 that will allow senators to consider final passage of the bill as early as Wednesday afternoon. But it's not without some conservative critics who say it will have the government taking on work that should be done by the private sector. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. labeled the proposed corporation "Fannie Travel" _ in reference to the troubled government-sponsored enterprises established to aid the housing market. The travel industry strongly supports the bill, as do lawmakers from some of the states hardest hit by the recession, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "When tourism is hurt, Nevada hurts. The entire state suffers," Reid said. "Nevada is not alone." "This bill is really about jobs, and it's a way of creating jobs without adding to the federal debt," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. Senators, citing data from industry sources, said beefed up marketing efforts would lead to an additional 1.6 million international travelers to the U.S. annually, and they said those travelers spend about $4,500 per visit. The U.S. Travel Association has ramped up its lobbying efforts to try and generate support for the measure, spending nearly $600,000 this year _ double what it spent during the prior two years combined, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Geoff Freeman, the association's senior vice president, said every developed country in the world has promotional campaigns designed to attract foreign visitors, and it was time for the U.S. to join the game. "The United States is the world's anomaly," Freeman said. "And the results speak for themselves." About 58 million international travelers visited the U.S. last year. Industry officials say millions of potential visitors are looking elsewhere because of enhanced border security after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks and negative foreign press articles. Many potential visitors just don't feel they're welcome in the U.S., and that's a mindset the private sector can't change by itself, said Freeman. More than 51 million international visitors came to the U.S. in 2000. That number dropped to 41 million in 2003, and has gradually improved since then, according to the Commerce Department. The private sector spends billions of dollars promoting destinations within the United States. Freeman said hotels and resorts would continue to do so and that the travel industry was not relying on the government to subsidize those costs. Indeed, much of the money for the promotional efforts will come from fees paid by the travel industry. "What the private sector is saying is that the government put in place the barriers for entry. At the very least, the government should be a partner in limiting the negative impact of those barriers," Freeman said. The United States began requiring people who don't need visas to enter the country to register online at least 72 hours before travel and renew their registration every two years. If the new proposal becomes law, it would require people to pay the $10 fee when they register. "It's a minimal fee compared to what many other countries are charging," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., the bill's chief sponsor. But the European Union has said that some U.S. travelers to Europe could face retaliatory fees. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: World Guatemala food-starved due to weather, economyAP - Wednesday, September 9 Today in History - Sept. 9AP - Wednesday, September 9 UN chief offers aid to Mexico City flood victimsAP - Wednesday, September 9 Karzai extends lead in tainted Afghan voteAFP - Wednesday, September 9 UK-World SummaryReuters - Wednesday, September 9 Most Popular – World Viewed Giant statues reveal red hat secrets: study New Alzheimer's gene link discovered RBS close to selling off Asian assets: report Economy outlook "better" than expected: bankers Hershey considers rival Cadbury bid: report View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. 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