I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2579
To establish the National Tourism Board and the National Tourism
Organization to promote international travel and tourism to the United States.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 2, 1995
Mr. ROTH (for himself, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. CLEMENT, Mr. PETRI, Mrs.
MORELLA, Mr. FRAZER, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. ABER-
CROMBIE, Mr. OXLEY, Mrs. VUCANOVICH, Mr. ZELIFF, Mr. BOEHLERT,
Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. DIXON, Mr. ROEMER,
Mrs. SEASTRAND, Mr. MCCOLLUM, Mr. PICKETT, Mr. OBERSTAR, and
Mr. FARR of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish the National Tourism Board and the National
Tourism Organization to promote international travel
and tourism to the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Travel and Tourism
Partnership Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL TOURISM BOARD.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na-
tional Tourism Board to—
(1) utilize a private-public partnership for trav-
el and tourism policymaking;
(2) develop a national travel and tourism strat-
egy for increasing travel and tourism to and within
the United States;
(3) to advise the President, the Congress, and
the travel and tourism industry on the implementa-
tion of such national strategy and on other matters
affecting travel and tourism; and
(4) to provide guidance to the National Tour-
ism Organization established under section 3.
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Board shall consist of 36
members appointed by the President as follows—
(1) 27 members shall be appointed from indi-
viduals who represent all the ranges of the travel
and tourism industry;
(2) 6 members shall be appointed from State,
regional, and Federal agencies related to travel and
tourism;
(3) 1 member shall be appointed from the Sen-
ate and 1 member shall be appointed from the
House of Representatives; and
(4) a chairman shall be appointed by and with
the advice of the Senate.
In making appointments to the Board, the President shall
take into account recommendations made by organizations
representing the travel and tourism industry. The chair-
man shall be accountable to the President and the Con-
gress for the operations of the Board.
(c) TERMS.—The members and chairman of the
Board shall be appointed for terms of 3 years, except that
of the members first appointed—
(1) 12 members shall be appointed for a term
of 1 year;
(2) 12 members shall be appointed for a term
of 2 years; and
(3) 11 members and the chairman shall be ap-
pointed for a term of 3 years,
as determined by the President as of the date of the first
appointments. A member may be reappointed to serve on
the Board.
(d) AUTHORITY.—
(1) NON-FEDERAL STATUS.—The Board is not
a Federal agency and is not subject to any Federal
law, including the Federal Advisory Commission Act
and personnel and budget laws.
(2) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The chairman of
the Board may appoint an executive director and es-
tablish the compensation and the duties of the exec-
utive director.
(3) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet at least
semi-annually. The meetings shall be open to the
public and appropriate notice shall be given for the
meeting dates.
(4) 
COMPENSATION
AND
EXPENSES.—The
chairman and members of the Board shall serve
without compensation but may be compensated for
expenses incurred in carrying out the duties of the
Board.
(5) TESTIMONY, REPORTS, AND SUPPORT.—The
Board may present testimony to the Congress and to
legislatures of the States and issue reports on its
findings and recommendations.
(6) CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Board may accept
financial contributions from the private sector to
cover the expenses of the Board.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established with a
Federal charter the National Tourism Organization. The
Organization shall be a non-for-profit organization. The
Organization is not a Federal agency and shall not be sub-
ject to any Federal law.
(b) DUTIES.—The Organization shall—
(1) seek to, and work for, an increase in the
share of the United States in the global tourism
market;
(2) implement the national travel and tourism
strategy developed by the National Tourism Board
under section 2(a)(2);
(3) operate travel and tourism promotion pro-
grams outside the United States in partnership with
the travel and tourism industry in the United
States;
(4) conduct market research necessary for ef-
fective promotion of the travel and tourism market;
(5) establish a Travel-Tourism Data Bank, col-
lect international market data for the Bank, and dis-
seminate such data to the travel and tourism indus-
try in the United States; and
(6) promote United States travel and tourism
at international trade shows.
(c) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The Organization shall
be governed by a Board of Directors (hereinafter in this
section ‘‘Board’’), which shall have 45 members. The
Board shall be accountable to the National Tourism Board
for the operations of the Organization. The President shall
appoint the initial members of the Board, taking into ac-
count recommendations made by organizations represent-
ing the travel and tourism industry so that all the ranges
of the travel and tourism industry are represented on the
Board. By majority vote, members of the Board shall se-
lect one member to be chairman and shall adopt bylaws,
policies and procedures to govern the duties of the chair-
man, the term of service of members of the Board, the
functioning of the Board and the operations of the Organi-
zation. The Board shall appoint new members to fill any
vacancy on the Board.
(d) STAFF.—The Board shall appoint a president of
the Organization and such other staff as the Board deter-
mines is necessary. The Board shall establish the duties
of the staff and set the compensation of the staff. The
president of the Organization shall serve as a member of
the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee.
(e) FUNDING.—The Organization may accept finan-
cial contributions. Within one year of the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Board shall develop a plan for
long-term financing and, if necessary, make recommenda-
tions to the Congress and the President for legislation.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT COOPERATION.
(a) SECRETARY OF STATE.—The Secretary of State
shall—
(1) place a priority on implementing rec-
ommendations by the National Tourism Board; and
(2) cooperate with the National Tourism Orga-
nization in carrying out its duties.
(b) DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES INFORMA-
TION AGENCY.—The Director of the United States Infor-
mation Agency shall—
(1) place a priority on implementing rec-
ommendations by the National Tourism Board; and
(2) cooperate with the National Tourism Orga-
nization in carrying out its duties.
SEC. 5. TRANSITION FROM THE UNITED STATES TRAVEL
AND TOURISM ADMINISTRATION.
(a) STAFF.—The President may transfer up to 25
members of the staff of the United States Travel and
Tourism Administration established under section 301 of
the International Travel Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2124)
to the Foreign Service or the Commercial Service for 2
years. Such staff members shall assist the Organization
in its start-up activities.
(b) FILES AND OTHER RESOURCES.—The files and
other non-financial resources of the United States Travel
and Tourism Administration are transferred to the United
States Foreign and Commercial Service.
SEC. 6. TRADE PROMOTION COORDINATING COMMITTEE.
Section 2312 of the Export Enhancement Act of
1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c) by adding at the end
thereof:
‘‘(6) reflect recommendations by the National
Tourism Board.’’
and
(2) in paragraph (d)(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ in
‘‘(L)’’, by redesignating ‘‘(M)’’ as ‘‘(N)’’, and by in-
serting the following:
‘‘(M) the President of the National Tour-
ism Organization; and’’.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Organization’’
means the National Tourism Organization established
under section 3.
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