Corporate travellers heading to the US will pay a new $US10 fee to help fund a not-for-profit tourism body set up by the US Government to encourage foreign visitors.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks caused significant damage to the US tourism industry with a 9% decline in the number of foreign leisure and business travellers to the US since 2000, according to the US Travel Association.
So Congress has passed legislation imposing a $US10 fee on visitors from Australia and 35 European and Asian countries who do not need visas to enter the US. They will pay the fee once every two years and the money will go towards promoting the US as a desirable destination for leisure and corporate travellers.
Part of the new tourism body’s role will be to educate visitors on the strict security measures now in place to protect them in the US. It is expected the legislation will result in 1.6 million more leisure and business travellers and add $4 billion to the economy per year.