Page 1 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548

March 21, 2012

Congressional Committees

Subject: Corporation for Travel Promotion: Establishment and Planned Programmatic Activities

According to the Department of Commerce (Commerce), the travel and tourism industry 

generates nearly $1.1 trillion in economic output for the U.S. economy and supports more than 

7.5 million U.S. jobs each year. Even though the United States received more than 60 million 

visitors in 2010, a 2009 congressional report1 noted a decline in the U.S. share of the 

international travel market from 9.4 percent in 1992 to 6.2 percent in 2007. Concern over this 

decline led Congress to explore efforts to reinvigorate the tourism industry and recapture lost 

market share. According to the report, government officials and other experts identified the lack 

of a coordinated international marketing campaign as a primary factor contributing to this 

decline. The U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises Commerce, also cited this 

lack of coordination and recommended the creation of a national tourism policy. To address this 

issue, Congress established the Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP) under the Travel 

Promotion Act of 2009 to create and execute a nationally coordinated travel promotion 

program.2

As we informed your offices in briefings and other communications on our preliminary findings in 

December 2011, the CTP is in the early stages of planning and is beginning to implement major 

programmatic activities to promote travel to the United States. In this report, we expand upon 

our earlier briefings to describe (1) the status of CTP’s establishment and (2) the activities CTP 

has planned and undertaken to promote travel and tourism to the United States. Enclosure I 

contains our briefing slides from December 2011, which have been updated for clarity.

This legislation, enacted in March of 2010, also mandates GAO to review CTP’s 

programmatic activities within 2 years of its enactment.

To determine the status of CTP’s establishment and the activities CTP has planned to promote 

travel to the United States, we reviewed pertinent CTP planning, budget, and legal documents, 

and interviewed CTP officials. We also interviewed an official with the accounting firm that 

conducted CTP’s first mandated financial audit. We sought to obtain data on the impact CTP 

activities have had on travel to the United States, though such metrics are still under 

development. We conducted this performance audit from September 2011 to March 2012 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require 

that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a 

 

1

S. Rep No. 111-25, 111th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 2 (2009).

2

Pub. Law 111-145, sec. 9.

 
Page 2 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based 

on our audit objectives.

Background

The U.S. travel and tourism industry has gone through a series of declines and recoveries over 

the last 10 years. Following a steep 3-year decline after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 

2001, travel to the United States experienced an annual increase in the number of international 

visitors, ranging from 3 to 12 percent annual growth for calendar years 2004 through 2008 (see 

fig. 1). After a decline in 2009, Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism reported that 2010 

was a record-setting year in terms of the number of international travelers visiting the United 

States. Notwithstanding the growth in 6 of the last 7 years, the United States has reportedly lost 

a significant share of the international travel market over the last decade. According to a study 

commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, an advocacy organization for the travel industry, 

international tourist arrivals worldwide grew to 880 million in 2009, up by nearly 200 million since 

2000, while overseas visits to the United States fell by 9 percent during the same time period. 

According to this study, not keeping pace with the growth in international travel has cost the 

United States an estimated $509 billion in lost spending by visitors.

Figure 1: Annual Percentage Change in International Arrivals at the United States, Calendar Years 2000-2010

Note: Data reflect the number of arrivals, not the number of individual visitors. The term “arrivals” reflects the number of times a 

passenger arrives in the United States, which maybe more than once per year for any individual.

In an effort to reinvigorate the tourism industry and recapture lost world market share, Congress 

established CTP under the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. CTP is not a federal agency; instead it 

was conceived as a nonprofit, public-private partnership with the mission of promoting increased 

international leisure, business, and scholarly travel to the United States. CTP is charged with 

executing a nationally coordinated travel promotion program, which includes accurately 
Page 3 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

communicating U.S. travel policies and providing international exposure for areas of the United 

States not traditionally visited by international travelers. CTP expects to position the United States 

as a compelling destination for international travelers and increase visitors by promoting multiple 

destinations and attractions in the country through an integrated marketing and communications 

strategy. It expects that promotional efforts will result in financial benefits to the U.S. economy, 

such as increased spending from visitors and new jobs in travel and related sectors.

U.S. law requires CTP’s annual budget to be provided through a combination of private and 

public funds. Fifty percent of the budget is intended to come from private sector contributions. At 

least 20 percent of private sector donations must be in cash, while the rest may be in the form of 

in-kind contributions. Although CTP is a nonprofit corporation, matching private contributions are 

not tax deductible. The other 50 percent of CTP’s budget is funded through matching funds 

drawn from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), administered by the 

Department of Homeland Security.3 The ESTA system assesses a $14 fee per foreign visitor 

traveling to the United States from visa waiver countries; $10 of this amount is used to fund 

CTP.4 CTP staff noted that, because funding is provided through ESTA fees, no taxpayer funds 

are used to establish or operate the corporation. In fiscal year 2012, which by law5 is the first 

year of CTP’s operation in which it can obtain federal matching funds, CTP will receive funding 

through ESTA fees that will match private funding at a 2 to 1 ratio; after the first year, federal 

funds will match private funding at a 1 to 1 ratio.6

CTP Has Taken Several Steps to Begin to Promote Travel to the United States but 

Is Not Yet Operating at Full Capacity

In September 2010, as directed by the Travel Promotion Act, the Secretary of Commerce 

appointed a board of 11 directors to govern CTP. Board members represent private and public 

sector areas related to travel and tourism—including lodging, city and state convention and 

visitors’ bureaus, small business, travel distributors, airlines, and others. Subsequently, under 

the direction of the board, CTP was incorporated in November 2010 as a nonprofit corporation 

in Washington, D.C. Once incorporated, CTP was able to initiate operating activities such as 

hiring staff and entering into contracts. Thus, the board conducted a search and hired a Chief 

Executive Officer (CEO) in May 2011. By December 2011, other senior staff positions had been 

filled. With the CEO in place, CTP began operations and has worked to develop strategic 

objectives, establish an organizational structure, and plan programmatic activities.

 

3

For GAO’s work related to ESTA, see GAO, Visa Waiver Program: DHS Has Implemented the Electronic System for 

Travel Authorization, but Further Steps Needed to Address Potential Program Risks, GAO-11-335 (Washington D.C.: 

May 5, 2011). 

4

The Visa Waiver Program allows eligible nationals from 36 member countries to travel to the United States for 

tourism or business for 90 days or less without a visa. The 36 countries currently participating in the Visa Waiver 

Program are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, 

Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, 

Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, 

Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

5

Public Law 111-198, sec. 5(b)(5).

6

After fiscal year 2012, federal funds will match private funding at a 1 to 1 ratio up to $100 million each year from 

fiscal year 2013 through fiscal year 2015. 
Page 4 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

The CEO organized CTP into four teams, each responsible for meeting one of its four strategic 

objectives. Led by the CEO, the four teams cover marketing, business development, strategic 

outreach, and operations. Specifically,

• the marketing team is responsible for overseeing and coordinating development and 

implementation of a marketing strategy designed to attract increased international travel to 

the United States;

• the business development team is responsible for attracting the necessary private 

investment through different revenue programs to encourage participation from the U.S. 

private sector;

• the strategic outreach team is tasked with maintaining communications with stakeholders, 

which include Congress, the private sector, and the general public; and

• the operations team has responsibility for general administrative activities, including budget 

operations.

Senior staff are in place for all four teams, as are some support staff. As of December 2011, 14 

staff had been hired; CTP officials expect to have a total of 42 staff on board once the hiring 

process is completed.

CTP expects to reach a budget of $150 million in 2012 by raising $50 million in private sector 

contributions, which would qualify it to receive a match of $100 million in federal funds collected 

through ESTA. Of the expected $150 million budget, $110 million would constitute the cash 

component of the operating budget, while the $40 million would be in-kind contributions. Since 

fiscal year 2012 is considered CTP’s first year of operations, federal funding will match private 

sector contributions in a ratio of 2 to 1. As of November 2011, over $4 million in cash and over 

$12 million in in-kind contributions had been committed by private sector donors. CTP expects 

to reach an annual budget of $200 million within 2 to 3 years, with half of that amount coming 

from private sector contributions.

According to CTP staff, of the $110 million in cash in the 2012 budget, 90 percent will be used 

to conduct programmatic activities, including contracting an advertising agency to implement a 

global marketing campaign. This campaign includes an initial 3-month contract to develop and 

launch a brand—the first phase of the global marketing campaign—and a Master Service 

Agreement with contractor responsibilities for subsequent core activities of the global marketing 

campaign. The initial 3-month contract was an interim agreement allowing the marketing and 

advertising campaign to proceed promptly with specific assignments and deadlines falling within 

the first 90 days. The Master Service Agreement is a long-term contract that will include the 

core activities of the global marketing campaign to promote international travel in the United 

States. CTP has chosen J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Worldwide in New York City to develop a 

brand and conduct a global advertising campaign. As of November 2011, the initial 3-month 

contract to develop a brand has been implemented, and as of early February 2012 CTP was in 

negotiations with JWT to sign a Master Service Agreement that will include JWT’s costs and 

responsibilities for core activities for the global marketing campaign.
Page 5 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Before selecting JWT, CTP hired an international consultant to conduct a search for advertising 

agencies qualified to conduct the global marketing campaign. The CTP selection committee 

which included board members and staff, selected JWT from among 14 advertising agencies 

identified by the consultant using performance criteria that included global brand leadership, 

global presence, related sector experience, and account management and operation 

capabilities. CTP staff explained that the cost of services was not a leading component of the 

performance criteria, but it was one of many business factors considered to rank the agencies 

competing for the global marketing campaign contract. CTP staff noted they had considered 

cost since the finalist competing agencies all provided draft cost proposals for the 3-month initial 

contract. According to CTP officials, although the cost proposals submitted by all finalist 

agencies were considered within acceptable range by CTP’s contract review committee, JWT 

was the most cost-effective.

CTP Conducted a Structured Selection Process to Contract the Advertising Agency, but 

Federal Guidelines that Would Facilitate Evaluation Have Not Been Adopted

After the initial 90-day contract was implemented, CTP entered into negotiations with JWT on 

the Master Service Agreement without conducting any further cost comparisons or a bidding 

process. CTP officials explained they did this since JWT had already been awarded the initial 

contract. According to CTP officials, while certain considerations were given to costs of services 

in ranking the agencies competing for the global campaign contract, JWT was not selected 

principally based on such costs, but on the extent to which it met CTP’s performance criteria 

and on the quality of its work proposal. The Master Service Agreement will include JWT’s costs 

and responsibilities for core activities for the global marketing campaign. Under the Master 

Service Agreement, the scope of work will be determined on an annual basis and will be based 

on agreed-upon services to be provided by JWT for that year. CTP staff stated that under this 

contract, JWT will play a key role in developing and implementing the global marketing 

campaign.

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 does not require CTP to follow federal procurement laws and 

regulations, but the Act imposes accountability measures on CTP, by requiring the corporation 

to engage an independent accounting firm to conduct an annual financial audit of its operations. 

Federally chartered nonprofits that receive federal funding, such as CTP, may adopt, as a 

matter of good practice, certain federal policies and procedures to guide the implementation of 

their programs. According to an official with the accounting firm that conducted CTP’s first 

financial audit, the corporation had not decided whether to adhere to federal guidance often 

followed by similar nonprofits, such as OMB circulars A-1107 or A-133.8

 

7

OMB Circular A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations (11/19/1993) (further amended 09/30/1999), 

These circulars provide 

guidance on financial and program management, property standards, and procurement 

standards; and facilitate the conduct of audits and evaluation of the entity receiving federal 

Relocated to 2 CFR, Part 215. This circular sets forth standards for obtaining consistency and uniformity among 

federal agencies in the administration of grants to and agreements with institutions of higher education, hospitals, and 

other nonprofit organizations. 

8

OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations (includes revisions 

published in the Federal Register 06/27/2003 and 06/26/2007). This circular is issued pursuant to the Single Audit Act 

of 1984, P.L. 98-502, and the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, P.L. 104-156. It sets forth standards for 

obtaining consistency and uniformity among federal agencies for the audit of States, local governments, and nonprofit

organizations expending federal funds.
Page 6 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

funds, respectively. This official explained that, since a determination has not been made 

whether CTP would follow these circulars, the audit team did not assess CTP’s contracting 

practices, such as the process followed to select JWT, because it lacked criteria for such an 

assessment. Therefore, this official noted the scope of the audit was limited to whether CTP’s 

financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in conformity with generally accepted 

accounting principles. According to CTP staff, they have not made a determination to follow 

OMB circulars A-110 and A-133 because they are seeking legal counsel and are waiting a 

determination about their applicability.

CTP Major Programmatic Activities to Promote International Travel Are under 

Development

CTP has taken initial steps to implement preliminary programmatic activities to promote 

international travel to the United States, but core programmatic activities are still under 

development and are expected to be implemented beginning in May 2012. To begin 

implementing these activities, CTP with the creative assistance of JWT has created a new 

brand identity with a globally relevant name and brand attributes—Brand USA—that will serve 

as the platform for a global advertising campaign. Since the introduction of the brand at the 

World Travel Market Show in London in November 2011, CTP has been operating as “Brand 

USA.” CTP considers launching the brand a major step because this is the brand and logo that 

international travelers will recognize as part of the advertising campaign.

CTP’s major planned programmatic activity will be coordinating the global marketing campaign it 

is designing and implementing with JWT. According to CTP officials, as Brand USA, they expect 

to work with JWT and other partners to execute a marketing program that includes a global 

advertising campaign, public relations strategies, a social media outreach plan, promotional and 

incentive campaigns, trade shows and sales missions, and educational campaigns for prospective 

visitors about U.S. entry policies. CTP expects the global advertising campaign to be launched at 

a trade shown known as the International Pow Wow, in Los Angeles in April 2012. The advertising 

campaign will include a variety of media types, including television, print, billboards, digital, and 

mobile ads. After the trade show in Los Angeles, CTP plans to launch advertising campaigns in 

three major markets for U.S. travel, including Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, later 

followed by emerging markets, such as Brazil and South Korea.9

As part of their programmatic activities, CTP officials are working on developing metrics to 

assess the impact of their efforts in increasing international travel to the United States. 

According to CTP staff, they have assembled a panel of industry experts who are working to 

select appropriate metrics that will allow them to measure the impact of CTP’s promotion efforts 

The marketing tools and 

audiences in each country will be determined by an analysis of existing and original market 

research, and tactics will be geared toward the cultural preferences of the markets in which they 

are deployed. In addition, CTP officials said they were developing a global network of 

representational firms to manage trade press and other communications in various countries. 

These firms will disseminate CTP materials in key markets, even where CTP’s advertising 

campaign has not been launched. According to CTP staff, not all the components of the marketing 

campaign have been developed, and they have not made final decisions on the selection, timing, 

and cost of marketing campaigns in all the countries discussed.

 

9

These target markets were narrowed down from the initial list of potential markets considered by CTP at the time of 

our briefing for congressional committees of jurisdiction in December 2011.
Page 7 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

and develop a process to determine the return on investment. The panel includes experts in the 

area of travel and tourism from federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector. 

The metrics plan is expected to track awareness and perceptions of Brand USA marketing 

efforts and messaging, consideration of travel to the United States in response to the Brand 

USA marketing, incremental trips originating in the launch markets, and travel behaviors and 

attitudes of foreign travelers when traveling to the United States, among other items. CTP plans 

to validate its metrics plan with data from various sources, including Commerce’s Office of 

Travel and Tourism Industries, the World Tourism Organization, and major credit card 

companies such as Visa and American Express. CTP expects to measure success in terms of 

the number of new visitors to the United States, increased spending by visitors, and the creation 

of new jobs in the United States that CTP can attribute to its activities.

Conclusions

While the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 does not require CTP to follow federal procurement 

policies and procedures, the Act imposes accountability measures on CTP. Among other things, 

it requires the corporation to engage an independent accounting firm to conduct an annual 

financial audit of its operations. However, CTP officials are seeking a legal determination as to 

whether the corporation should adhere to policies and procedures such as those in OMB 

circulars A-110 and A-133. Since CTP has not reached such a determination, the first external 

financial audit of CTP was limited to assessing whether financial statements were prepared in 

accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Other financial decisions undertaken 

by CTP officials were not audited, including selection of JWT to conduct the global marketing 

campaign, the corporation’s major programmatic activity to date.

Recommendation for Executive Action

To help CTP comply with the accountability provisions established under the Travel Promotion 

Act of 2009, GAO recommends that, as a good practice, the CEO of CTP consider adopting 

federal policies and procedures such as OMB circulars A-110 and A-133, to the extent possible, 

for use in carrying out the corporation’s programs and activities. 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

We provided a draft of this report for comment to the Chief Executive Officer of CTP. On March 

8 and 9, 2010, we received final comments orally and via e-mail from CTP’s Vice-President of 

Operations and Deputy Director of Strategic Outreach on behalf of the agency. CTP officials 

said that they consider our recommendation prejudicial given that the corporation has sought 

external legal counsel and is waiting to obtain a determination on whether CTP is subject to 

federal regulations, including OMB circulars A-110 and A-133. As we explained in our report, 

such federal policies and procedures as the OMB circulars are to be adopted not as a legal 

requirement but as a good practice that is often followed by similar federally chartered 

nonprofits that receive federal funding. Adopting such good practices will facilitate future 

assessments of CTP financial management and programmatic activities. Allowing for a fuller 

and more transparent audit of CTP activities will help ensure that CTP is readily accountable to 

Congress for the federal funds it manages. CTP also provided technical comments, which were 

incorporated in the report as appropriate.
Page 8 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional committees, the 

CEO of CTP, and other interested parties. In addition, this report will be available at no charge 

on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staffs have any questions about this 

report, please contact me at (202) 512-4104 or gomezj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices 

of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. 

Major contributors to this report were made by Juan Gobel, Assistant Director, Francisco 

Enriquez, Senior Analyst, and Ernie Jackson, Senior Attorney.

Alfredo Gomez

Acting Director

International Affairs and Trade

Enclosure
Page 9 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

List of Congressional Committees

The Honorable Jay D. Rockefeller IV

Chairman

The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison

Ranking Member

Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation

United States Senate

The Honorable John F. Kerry

Chairman

The Honorable Richard G. Lugar

Ranking Member

Committee on Foreign Relations

United States Senate

The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman

Chairman

The Honorable Susan M. Collins

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable Fred Upton

Chairman

The Honorable Henry A. Waxman

Ranking Member

Committee on Energy and Commerce

House of Representatives

The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Chairman

The Honorable Howard Berman

Ranking Member

Committee on Foreign Affairs

House of Representatives

The Honorable Peter T. King

Chairman

The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives
Page 10 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Enclosure: Briefing on Preliminary Findings, December 2011

Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP)

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation

Senate Committee on Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs 

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 

December 13, 2011

House Committee on Energy and Commerce

House Committee on Homeland Security

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

December 15, 2011

Briefing on Preliminary Findings for:

Note: Some slides in this enclosure were modified after the briefing dates for the purpose of clarity.
Page 11 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 2

Objectives and Methodology

Objectives • What is the status of CTP’s establishment?

• What activities has CTP programmed to promote travel and 

tourism to the United States? 

Methodology

To determine the progress made in CTP’s establishment and 

activities CTP has programmed to promote travel to the United 

States we reviewed CTP planning, budget, and legal documents, 

and interviewed CTP officials. 
Page 12 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 3

Background

• CTP was created by Congress to help the United States 

capture a greater share of the international travel market 

and the profit it generates.

• CTP was established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 

(Pub. Law 111-145, sec. 9). Enacted in March 2010, the 

Act also directs GAO to review CTP’s programmatic 

activities within 2 years of its enactment. 
Page 13 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 4

CTP is established as a nonprofit corporation funded through a 

private-public partnership.

• Public funding is provided through a program known as the Electronic 

System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which is used to collect fees 

from travelers visiting the United States from countries that do not 

require a visa.

• As envisioned, the private sector is expected to cover at least 50 

percent of the program’s budget through a combination of cash and 

in-kind contributions. 

Background
Page 14 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 5

• Sept. 2010: Board of Directors appointed

• Nov. 2010: Incorporated as nonprofit corporation in DC

• May 2011: CEO brought on board, followed by other senior staff

• Aug. 2011: Marketing agency selected for global campaign

• Nov. 2011: 

• CTP implemented its first major marketing activity, 

introducing its new brand name

• External auditor initiated first mandated financial audit

Status of Establishing CTP
Page 15 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 6

CTP Organizational Chart

Status of Establishing CTP 

Marketing Team 

3 of 9 positions filled

Business Development Team 

2 of 10 positions filled

Strategic Outreach Team 

3 of 6 positions filled

Operations Team 

1of 6 positions filled

Chief Executive Officer

Deputy to the CEO

Chief Marketing 

Officer

Chief Business 

Development Officer

Vice-President of 

Strategic Outreach

Vice-President of Operations 

& General Counsel

Source: GAO analysis of CTP information.
Page 16 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 7

CTP’s Financial Situation

Federal funds:

• $10 million in ESTA funds were approved by Commerce and 

distributed by Treasury for CTP’s first-year start-up costs in 2011.

Private sector funding:

• As of Nov. 2011, CTP had received over $4 million in commitments in 

cash and over $12 million in contributions in-kind. (This level of private 

sector financial commitment would allow CTP to qualify for over $32 

million in matching federal contributions.)

Status of Establishing CTP 
Page 17 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Program Activities

First Major Marketing Activity Implemented: 

• Creation of a new brand identity with globally relevant name and 

brand attributes; CTP will operate under this brand. 

• Brand USA and logo were introduced Nov. 7, 2011, at the World 

Travel Market Show in London.

Page 8
Page 18 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 9

• Global advertising campaign

Global Campaign launch at travel trade 

conference in Los Angeles, April 21, 

2012

• Trade shows and sales 

missions

• Social media

• Educational campaigns 

regarding U.S. entry policy

Program Activities

Potential Markets Targeted by CTP

Mexico

EU

Canada

China

Brazil

Japan

India

Source: GAO analysis of CTP information.
Page 19 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

Page 10

Program Activities

Anticipated FY 2012 CTP Budget Outlays

Notes:

• Totals do not add up to 100% due to rounding.

• CTP assumes revenues generated and contributed will provide a budget of $150 million for FY 2012. Of the expected $150 

million budget, $110 million would constitute the cash component of the operating budget, while the $40 million would be inkind contributions. 

Other: 7%

(Industry Relations, Research and Publications)

Marketing: 63%

• Brand Advertising/Promotions: 59%

• Web and Interactive Marketing: 4%

Trade Shows: 7%

International 

Representation: 7%

Communications: 5%

Operations : 10%

Source: GAO analysis of CTP information. 
Page 20 GAO-12-485R Corporation for Travel Promotion

(320869)

Page 11

How CTP intends to measure success

• Number of new visitors to communities 

across the country

• Increased spending at businesses, 

attractions, and destinations

• Number of U.S. jobs created (projected as 

tens of thousands)

Program Activities

Efforts to develop 

performance metrics

• Plans to convene panel of 

industry experts to develop 

metrics

• Will use metrics to seek 

private sector funding 

• Expects to increase 

collection of Commerce 

survey of departing 

travelers
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