Sec. 1438. National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure
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Congress finds that— 1 out of every 9 jobs in the United States depends on travel and tourism, and the industry supports 15,000,000 jobs in the United States; the travel and tourism industry employs individuals in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and all of the territories of the United States; international travel to the United States is the single largest export industry in the Nation, generating a trade surplus balance of approximately $74,000,000,000; travel and tourism provide significant economic benefits to the United States by generating nearly $2,100,000,000,000 in annual economic output; and the United States intermodal transportation network facilitates the large-scale movement of business and leisure travelers, and is the most important asset of the travel industry.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure (in this section referred to as the Committee ) to provide information, advice, and recommendations to the Secretary on matters relating to the role of intermodal transportation in facilitating mobility related to travel and tourism activities. The Committee shall— be composed of members appointed by the Secretary for terms of not more than 3 years; and include a representative cross-section of public and private sector stakeholders involved in the travel and tourism industry, including representatives of— the travel and tourism industry, product and service providers, and travel and tourism-related associations; travel, tourism, and destination marketing organizations; the travel and tourism-related workforce;
State tourism offices; Sate departments of transportation; regional and metropolitan planning organizations; and local governments. The Committee shall— advise the Secretary on current and emerging priorities, issues, projects, and funding needs related to the use of the Nation’s intermodal transportation network to facilitate travel and tourism; serve as a forum for discussion for travel and tourism stakeholders on transportation issues affecting interstate and interregional mobility of passengers; promote the sharing of information between the private and public sectors on transportation issues impacting travel and tourism; gather information, develop technical advise, and make recommendations to the Secretary on policies that improve the condition and performance of an integrated national transportation system that is safe, economical, and efficient, and that maximizes the benefits to the Nation generated through the United States travel and tourism industry; identify critical transportation facilities and corridors that facilitate and support the interstate and interregional transportation of passengers for tourism, commercial, and recreational activities; provide for development of measures of condition, safety, and performance for transportation related to travel and tourism; provide for development of transportation investment, data, and planning tools to assist Federal, State, and local officials in making investment decisions relating to transportation projects that improve travel and tourism; and address other issues of transportation policy and programs impacting the movement of travelers for tourism and recreational purposes, including by making legislative recommendations.
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Committee, State departments of transportation, and other appropriate public and private transportation stakeholders, develop and post on the Department’s public Internet Web site a national travel and tourism infrastructure strategic plan that includes— an assessment of the condition and performance of the national transportation network; an identification of the issues on the national transportation network that create significant congestion problems and barriers to long-haul passenger travel and tourism, forecasts of long-haul passenger travel and tourism volumes for the 20-year period beginning in the year during which the plan is issued; an identification of the major transportation facilities and corridors for current and forecasted long-haul travel and tourism volumes, the identification of which shall be revised, as appropriate, in subsequent plans; an assessment of statutory, regulatory, technological, institutional, financial, and other barriers to improved long-haul passenger travel performance (including opportunities for overcoming the barriers); best practices for improving the performance of the national transportation network; and strategies to improve intermodal connectivity for long-haul passenger travel and tourism.