Alert

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), and Mark Kirk (Ill.) today applauded Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution recognizing the contributions of tourism to the United States.

“Travel and tourism are an important part of Missouri’s economy, as nearly 40 million visitors traveled to see our wide range of attractions last year, creating jobs and generating more than $15 billion in revenue for the state,” Blunt said. “I’m pleased to join my colleagues on this bipartisan resolution as we work to promote the job-creating travel and tourism industries in Missouri and each and every state.”

“From the Mall of America to the Boundary Waters, there are countless reasons for international tourists to come experience Minnesota for themselves,” Klobuchar said. “Tourism to Minnesota generates nearly $12 billion in sales, which provides a big boost to cities and towns all across our state. We need to do everything we can to attract more visitors to the U.S. who will help our businesses and communities thrive.”

“Tourism and travel gives us the chance to share Hawai‘i’s natural beauty and culture with the rest of the world,” Schatz said. “It’s not only a great way to share Hawai‘i’s vibrant culture, it’s one of the most important sectors of our local economy, creating good jobs and supporting thousands of small businesses. I’m proud to join my colleagues to recognize the important role our visitor industry plays, and I look forward to continue working on policies that promote travel to Hawai‘i and boost our local economy.”

“Chicago set a tourism record in 2014 with 3.98 million hotel rooms sold. With 55 million visitors a year by 2020, travel and tourism will bring more than $30 million to Illinois annually,” Kirk said. “New 10-year Chinese tourist visas would encourage even more visitors to our state and nation – I applaud my colleagues for recognizing the importance of travel and tourism to our nation.”

The bipartisan resolution supports the goals of National Travel and Tourism Week—which this year is being marked on May 2-10—and recognizes the important role travel and tourism play in boosting the U.S. economy. One out of every nine jobs in the U.S. depends on travel and tourism, and the industry supports 15 million jobs across the country. Tourism is the single largest export industry in the U.S. Blunt, Klobuchar, Schatz, and Kirk are co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Tourism Caucus.