22 USC 2122 - Powers and duties of Secretary of Commerce

Collapse to view only § 2122. Powers and duties of Secretary of Commerce

§ 2122. Powers and duties of Secretary of Commerce
§ 2123. Office of Travel Promotion
§ 2123a. Research program
§§ 2123b to 2123d. Repealed.

§ 2122. Powers and duties of Secretary of CommerceIn order to carry out the national tourism policy established in section 2121(b) of this title and by the United States National Tourism Organization Act of 1996, the Secretary of Commerce (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan to perform critical tourism functions which, in the determination of the Secretary, are not being carried out by the United States National Tourism Organization or other private sector entities or State governments. Such plan may include programs to—

(1) collect and publish comprehensive international travel and tourism statistics and other marketing information;

(2) design, implement, and publish international travel and tourism forecasting models;

(3) facilitate the reduction or elimination of barriers to international travel and tourism; and

(4) work with the United States National Tourism Organization, the Tourism Policy Council, State tourism agencies, and Federal agencies in—

(A) coordinating the Federal implementation of a national travel and tourism policy;

(B) representing the United States’ international travel and tourism interests to foreign governments; and

(C) maintaining United States participation in international travel and tourism trade shows and fairs until such activities can be transferred to such Organization and other private sector entities.

(Pub. L. 87–63, title II, § 201, formerly § 2, June 29, 1961, 75 Stat. 129; Pub. L. 93–623, § 6, Jan. 3, 1975, 88 Stat. 2105; renumbered and amended Pub. L. 97–63, § 3(b), (e)(1), Oct. 16, 1981, 95 Stat. 1012, 1013; Pub. L. 102–372, § 6(a), Sept. 30, 1992, 106 Stat. 1175; Pub. L. 104–288, § 10, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3407.)

§ 2123. Office of Travel Promotion

(a) Office established

(b) Director

(1) Appointment

(2) Qualifications

(3) Duties

(1) serve as liaison to the Corporation for Travel Promotion established by subsection (b) of section 11 of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 1

1 See References in Text note below.

and support and encourage the development of programs to increase the number of international visitors to the United States for business, leisure, educational, medical, exchange, and other purposes;

(2) work with the Corporation, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security—

(A) to disseminate information more effectively to potential international visitors about documentation and procedures required for admission to the United States as a visitor;

(B) to ensure that arriving international visitors are generally welcomed with accurate information and in an inviting manner;

(D) enhance the entry and departure experience for international visitors through the use of advertising, signage, and customer service; and

(3) support State, regional, and private sector initiatives to promote travel to and within the United States.

(d) Reports to Congress

(Pub. L. 87–63, title II, § 202, as added Pub. L. 111–145, § 9(i), formerly § 9(g), Mar. 4, 2010, 124 Stat. 63; renumbered 9(i), Pub. L. 113–235, div. B, title VI, § 606(1), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2219.)

§ 2123a. Research program

(a) In general

The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries shall expand and continue its research and development activities in connection with the promotion of international travel to the United States, including—

(1) expanding access to the official Mexican travel surveys data to provide the States with traveler characteristics and visitation estimates for targeted marketing programs;

(2) expanding the number of inbound air travelers sampled by the Commerce Department’s Survey of International Travelers to reach a 1 percent sample size and revising the design and format of questionnaires to accommodate a new survey instrument, improve response rates to at least double the number of States and cities with reliable international visitor estimates and improve market coverage;

(3) developing estimates of international travel exports (expenditures) on a State-by-State basis to enable each State to compare its comparative position to national totals and other States;

(4) evaluate the success of the Corporation in achieving its objectives and carrying out the purposes of

(5) research to support the annual reports required by section 2123(d) of this title.

(b) Authorization of appropriations

(Pub. L. 87–63, title II, § 203, as added Pub. L. 111–145, § 9(j), formerly § 9(h), Mar. 4, 2010, 124 Stat. 64; renumbered 9(j), Pub. L. 113–235, div. B, title VI, § 606(1), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2219.)

§§ 2123b to 2123d. Repealed. Pub. L. 104–288, § 9(a), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3407