Increase in tourism will provide economic boost in Nevada

September 9, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign today led the U.S. Senate in passing the Travel Promotion Act.  Using the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s model for Las Vegas, the bill will create a Corporation for Travel Promotion that will be responsible for marketing the United States around the world as a tourist destination.  Tourism is a leading industry in virtually every state.  Reid and Ensign believe that efforts through this bill to make the U.S. more attractive abroad and easy to visit will directly increase the number of visitors to Nevada.  The legislation will also create tens of thousands of sorely needed jobs.
 
“This is what the LVCVA has been doing for Las Vegas for decades,” Reid said. “This legislation is a win-win-win: it will create jobs, boost local sales tax revenues and decrease the U.S. budget deficit.  It will give a much-needed boost to an industry that has been the engine of our state’s economy.”

“Our state is still reeling from some of the hardest economic times many of us have seen in our lifetimes,” said Sen. Ensign.  “This legislation will help to create jobs, without adding to the debt or raising Americans taxes.”

The Travel Promotion Act establishes a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a top international travel destination and provide information on U.S. security and entry policies.  Travel promotion under this plan would be paid for by private sector contributions and user fees charged to international visitors, not by American taxpayer dollars.  

A study by Oxford Economics estimates that this plan would attract 1.6 million new international visitors annually and projects TPA could create $4 billion a year in new economic activity.