1 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Organization of American States XXI Inter-American Congress of Ministers & High-Level Authorities of Tourism Curt Cottle U.S. Department of Commerce September 6, 2013

2 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Introduction National Travel and Tourism Strategy National Parks Project National Heritage Areas

3 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Strategy President Obama issued an executive order in January 2012 Travel facilitation improvements Creation of a Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness Development of a National Strategy Implementation through the Tourism Policy Council

4 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Strategy Goal – Increase jobs by attracting and welcoming 100 million international visitors annually by 2021, and encourage visitation within the U.S. 5 key areas –Promoting the U.S. –Enabling travel and tourism to and within the U.S. –Providing world-class customer service and visitor experience –Coordinating across government –Conducting research and measuring results.

5 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Strategy NTTS Action Plan asks TPC agencies to integrate the principles of sustainable tourism to preserve resources and maintain a high-quality visitor experience Key actions include: –Evaluating visitor carrying capacity –Relieving pressure on over-used sites –Monitoring natural and heritage resources –Using interagency task forces to identify consistent approaches –Fostering sustainability beyond public land and water boundaries –Partnering with local communities and Indian tribes

6 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce National Parks 403 park units committed to conserving and protecting nation’s treasures NPS National Tourism Strategic Plan Gulf Coast Sustainable Tourism Restoration Project –Partnership with Fish & Wildlife Service, Department of Interior –Transportation Department grant and BP funding –4 states, regional marketing effort –Geotourism product development and marketing campaign with National Geographic Society

7 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce National Heritage Areas 50 large-scale partnership projects designated by U.S. Congress Tell nationally significant stories that celebrate the nation’s diverse heritage Grassroots, community-driven approach to conservation and development Public-private partnerships focus on historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, education and interpretation, visitor services

8 Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Moving Forward White House remains focused on travel and tourism New leadership at the Departments of Commerce, State, the Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, Homeland Security Input from the private sector in setting priorities Development of metrics to measure results