This is very near and dear to my heart (and wallet).

 

Today's Executive Order charges several agencies to take part in efforts to increase travel and tourism in the United States:

• The Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior will be charged with:
  
  • Co-leading an interagency task force to develop recommendations for a National Travel & Tourism Strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States, thereby expanding job creation. This Task Force will coordinate with the Corporation for Travel Promotion (currently doing business as BrandUSA), a non-profit corporation established by Congress through the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 to promote travel to the United States, and the Tourism Policy Council to ensure private sector participation and cross-agency coordination.
    
  • A particular focus of the Task Force will be on strategies for increasing tourism and recreation jobs by promoting visits to our national treasures. The Department of the Interior manages iconic destinations in our national parks, wildlife refuges, cultural and historic sites, monuments and other public lands that attract travelers from around the country and the globe. In 2010, more than 400 million visits were made by American and international travelers to these lands, contributing nearly $50 billion in economic activity and 400,000 jobs. Eco-tourism and outdoor recreation also have an outsize impact on rural economies, particularly in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
    

  [*]The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security will be charged with:

  • Increasing non-immigrant visa processing capacity in China and Brazil by 40% in 2012.
    
  • Ensuring that 80% of non-immigrant visa applicants are interviewed within three weeks of receipt of application.
    
  • Increasing efforts to expand the Visa Waiver Program and travel by nationals eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, and expanding reciprocal trusted travel programs for expedited travel (such as the Global Entry program).
    

  [*]The Department of Commerce will be charged with:

  • Establishing and maintaining a publicly available website with key information and statistics from across the Federal Government to assist industry and travelers in understanding visa processes in key travel and tourism markets, and entry times into the United States.
    

Additional initiatives announced today include:

• New Pilot Program and Rule Change for Visa Processing in China and Brazil:
  
  • Today, the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced a pilot program to simplify and speed up the non-immigrant visa process for certain applicants, including the ability to waive interviews for some very low-risk applicants, such as individuals from any country renewing non-immigrant visas, or, in Brazil, younger or older first-time applicants. Link to fact sheet HERE for more information.
    

  [*]Final Rule to Expand and Make the Global Entry Program Permanent:

  • Global Entry is a program within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection that was created as a pilot in 2008 to facilitate expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Through a final rule, the Administration will expand and make the Global Entry program permanent. Due in part to innovative public-private partnerships, the Global Entry program now has more than 246,000 members, more than one million trusted travelers have Global Entry benefits, and efforts are underway to expand enrollment even further. There are currently 131 Global Entry kiosks at 20 airports and since launching, members have used Global Entry kiosks over 1.7 million times, saving CBP officers over 36,450 inspection hoursâ€"staff hours that CBP has then re-allocated to expedite regular passenger queues. This final rule will allow the program to be expanded to an additional 4 airports in Minneapolis, Charlotte, Denver and Phoenix, making the Global Entry program and expedited clearance available in airports that service approximately 97% of international travelers.
    

  [*]Appoint new members to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board:

  • A new membership of 32 private sector CEOs have been appointed by Commerce Secretary Bryson to serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will build upon the work undertaken by the past Board addressing travel facilitation, visa policy, improving the international travel entry experience, aviation security, energy security, crisis communications and research and data, among other issues. This Board consists of corporate executives across the nation, representing all aspects of the travel and tourism industry, who are appointed to a two-year term to advise the Secretary of Commerce on policies affecting the travel and tourism industry. See the full list of new members HERE.
    

  [*]Nomination of Taiwan to Visa Waiver Program:

Currently, more than 60% of international tourists do not require a U.S. visa, in most cases because they travel under the Visa Waiver Program. The Secretary of State has formally requested that the Secretary of Homeland Security consider Taiwan for the Visa Waiver Program. Over the past year, Taiwan has undertaken significant efforts to improve its law enforcement and document security standards to meet the strict requirements for Visa Waiver Program eligibility. Under the Visa Waiver Program, participating nationals can travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The program was established to promote travel and tourism with our foreign partners, stimulate the tourism industry, and permit the Department of State to focus consular resources in other areas. Since November 2008, the Department of Homeland Security has added nine countries to the Visa Waiver Program, bringing the program total to 36 countries

Maybe this will encourage Michelle to vacation more, after all it is free money. These two trips to Martha Vineyards and Hawaii were quite free and convinent.

 

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/08/19/michelles-separate-travel-costs-taxpayers-thousands/

 

Then this trip to Africa only cost taxpayers 424,000 for a safari and sightseeing.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/10/04/michelle-obamas-africa-vacation-cost-more-than-432142

 

Maybe his wife is behind all of this travel for tourism so she can travel more.

Maybe this will encourage Michelle to vacation more, after all it is free money. These two trips to Martha Vineyards and Hawaii were quite free and convinent.

 

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/08/19/michelles-separate-travel-costs-taxpayers-thousands/

 

Then this trip to Africa only cost taxpayers 424,000 for a safari and sightseeing.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/10/04/michelle-obamas-africa-vacation-cost-more-than-432142

 

Maybe his wife is behind all of this travel for tourism so she can travel more.

 

your life must really stink

your life must really stink

 

Why, because someone dare point out wasteful spending. I have a great life, one I don't deserve when I see how bad some have it

Anything that gets people from other places to spend money here legally, I am 100% for.

Pretty good idea but if Obama would focus more on the economy and getting folks back to work maybe more Americans could afford to travel and vacation again..

With gas prices so high, who can afford to travel places, let alone have to pay hotels.

your life must really stink

 

But just think about how much good could have been done for the poor with all the money Michelle spends, or is it just the conservative rich that take advantage of their situation that merit your ire? And remember Michelle isn't spending HER money she's spending OUR money.

Pretty good idea but if Obama would focus more on the economy and getting folks back to work maybe more Americans could afford to travel and vacation again..

 

Ummmmm....you do realize that tourism is a job producing part of the economy, right? Airlines employ people? Hotels? Restaurants? Attractions?

And then there are the tangents this doesn't even take into account: Manufacturing jobs for equipment used in the industry, construction for new-builds/renovations, soft goods manufacturing, technological needs, food processing, food delivery, trucking jobs....

 

Where I work is a good example:

 

We employee 1400 people at peak season.

We purchase food from outside vendors

We purchase items to sell in our retail shops

We purchase grounds-keeping supplies

We purchase china, silver, glassware, linen, pots, pans.....

We purchase feed for horses

We purchase decorations

We purchase vehicles for our fleet for guest transportation

That's only a tiny bit. We purchased over 3M in goods last year, and it wasn't even considered a good year.

 

For each place we purchase, if we increase our purchases, more goods must be produced (imagine that nation-wide across the industry). We have to have the goods shipped to us, 99% of the time delivered by trucking companies.

 

There is a trickle down effect, and anyone who eschews focusing on an industry that would bring foreigners into our country for the purposes of torusim really is just bitter and doesn't get it.

But just think about how much good could have been done for the poor with all the money Michelle spends, or is it just the conservative rich that take advantage of their situation that merit your ire? And remember Michelle isn't spending HER money she's spending OUR money.

 

And your thoughts of the topic of increasing foreign tourisme into the US?

And your thoughts of the topic of increasing foreign tourisme into the US?

I said it was a good idea... Just don't think tourism will save the economy alone..

I said it was a good idea... Just don't think tourism will save the economy alone..

 

Wouldn't this fall under the stimulating the economy category and not the saving the economy category?

But just think about how much good could have been done for the poor with all the money Michelle spends, or is it just the conservative rich that take advantage of their situation that merit your ire? And remember Michelle isn't spending HER money she's spending OUR money.

 

If they took any vacation wouldn't it always be with technically our money anyways? Who pays Obama's salary? Does he have side money coming in that isn't from the Presidential Paycheck?

And your thoughts of the topic of increasing foreign tourisme into the US?

 

If they are coming here legally and spending their money then I'm all for it.

If they took any vacation wouldn't it always be with technically our money anyways? Who pays Obama's salary? Does he have side money coming in that isn't from the Presidential Paycheck?

 

Book sales? But you're right Obama and his family are living on our dime. Wonder how much we're spending to send his kids to that fancy private school while the working man he acts like he cares so much about are forced by necessity to keep their kids in under performing public schools?

 

Would Michelle have been able to take the first kids on some of the jaunts that she did if not for doing it on the government dime?