Foreign tourists wanted

MYRTLE BEACH — When it comes to attracting foreign visitors to the Grand Strand, some local tourism leaders are looking to Congress for help.

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, would create a nonprofit corporation to advertise the U.S. as a travel destination in foreign countries. The campaign would be funded by industry contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not have to pay for a visa.

The travel industry, including the U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, have been lobbying heavily for the bill. One estimate says the bill would attract 1.6 million new foreign visitors a year, create $4 billion in spending and drive $321 million in new federal tax revenue. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could reduce the budget deficit by $425 million.

Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, said Myrtle Beach could piggyback its own international marketing campaign off the one being run by the new government agency, or even partner directly with the new agency.

"It will open the door for destinations like Myrtle Beach to actively promote themselves as part of that overall message," he said. "When it comes to international travel, we don't have the name recognition nor the resources to compete with major players like Florida, New York and California."

The Myrtle Beach area has partnered with Hilton Head Island and Charleston to be represented at travel shows in Europe, mostly in the United Kingdom and Germany, Dean said. "One of the appeals of the international traveler, particularly Europeans, is that they travel more often, stay longer and spend more than the average American traveler," he said. The chamber says more than 850,000 Canadians, 16,000 Germans and 18,000 Britons visited the state in 2007.

The bill was favored by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation earlier this month. The committee noted that overseas travel to the U.S. has declined since the Sept. 11 attacks. The U.S. Travel Association estimates the nation's share of international tourism has dropped 17 percent since then at a cost of more than 200,000 jobs. It also was noted the average overseas visitor spends $4,500 per trip, and the average Canadian or Mexican visitor spends $900 per trip. It said that in the first quarter of 2009, international travel decreased by 10 percent.

But some oppose the bill. Jena Baker McNeill, a policy analyst for homeland security at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said adding another layer of government bureaucracy is not the best way to attract more travelers to the U.S.

Marketing should be left to the private sector, and the government should ease visa requirements and make it easier to travel to the U.S., she said. Passing the bill also sends a mixed message since the government waived visa requirements, and the subsequent fee, for several countries late last year, she said.

"Even though it's only $10, that's $10 that could be spent in the industry," she said.

Whether the bill passes Congress remains to be seen. It was up for a vote last week in the Senate, but Republicans and Democrats could not agree on amendments to the bill that ultimately had little to do with the main thrust of the act, said Geoff Freeman, a senior VP with the U.S. Travel Association.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who could not be reached for comment, has opposed the bill in the past. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has spoken in favor of the bill.

"While I believe the economy will rebound eventually, consumer confidence is not showing sufficient signs of improvement," Graham said in a statement. "We must encourage international travelers, Americans and American business to continue to travel for leisure."