•HCON 309 IH 
Whereas travel is a perception-based business and exagger-
ated or sensationalized media coverage of the oil spill un-
necessarily drives travelers elsewhere, exacerbating the 
harm done to local business and employees; 
Whereas also contributing to traveler declines in the Gulf are 
consumer uncertainties about where oil has washed 
ashore and where it will come ashore in the future; 
Whereas when a region experiences prolonged declines in 
travel resulting from consumer misperceptions, economic 
hardship and job loss can ripple throughout a local econ-
omy; 
Whereas a study by Oxford Economics found that the poten-
tial impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could ad-
versely affect tourism arrivals in coastal communities for 
up to 3 years at a cost of $22.7 billion dollars in lost rev-
enue; 
Whereas it is not too late to mitigate these economic losses 
by taking an active role in providing credible and accu-
rate information to the traveling public; 
Whereas the simplest and most effective way to accomplish 
this is to direct BP to invest $500 million over the next 
3 years in comprehensive information-based marketing 
campaigns designed to bring travelers back to the Gulf 
Coast; 
Whereas a study by Oxford Economics also found that a 
$500 million information-based marketing campaign 
could yield $7.5 billion in traveler spending in the Gulf 
Coast region and significantly increase traveler levels, 
thereby helping local economies recover from the impacts 
of the oil spill; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
20:58 Jul 30, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC309.IH
HC309
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HCON 309 IH 
Whereas the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and the $20 billion 
dollar escrow account have been established only to pay 
for damages that have already occurred, rather than also 
to prevent further economic damages from happening, 
leaving the travel industry in a frustrating predicament 
and with a grim outlook; 
Whereas BP recently denied the State of Florida its request 
for another marketing grant and instead informed the 
Governor’s office that individual counties and cities 
should submit claims directly to BP; 
Whereas, to date, the type of documentation needed to file a 
marketing claim or the criteria that will be used to evalu-
ate these claims has not been presented by BP to any po-
tential claimants; and 
Whereas it is important to avoid potential uncertainties and 
inequities in the distribution of tourism marketing dollars 
to recipients on the Gulf Coast: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) a $500 million dollar recovery fund focusing 
exclusively on travel and tourism should be funded 
by BP and administered by the Gulf Coast Claims 
Facility; 
(2) the funds should be administered through 
an open and transparent process with a defined set 
of criteria for award; and 
(3) county or parish and State tourism boards 
and visitors bureaus in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
20:58 Jul 30, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HC309.IH
HC309
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HCON 309 IH 
bama, and Florida should all be eligible for funding 
based on a demonstration of a decline in travelers 
since the beginning of the BP oil spill. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
20:58 Jul 30, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HC309.IH
HC309
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS