Sen. Boxer Seeks to Revive Federal Tourism Agency

Sen. Barbara Boxer called Wednesday for re-establishment of a defunct federal agency to help the nation’s tourism industry, which has been crippled by the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The California Democrat said she would introduce legislation next week to resurrect the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration, which closed in 1996 after 35 years of promoting foreign travel to the nation’s cities, parks and landmarks.

“We need this office now more than ever, not only to promote international travel to the U.S., but to jump-start our own domestic travel and tourism,” Boxer said.

Since the attacks using hijacked airliners to crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, tourism has dropped off sharply in the United States.

With many Americans now afraid to fly, more than 100,000 jobs have been eliminated in a scaled-back airline industry, and tens of thousands of other jobs are at risk in related industries.

Boxer said she discussed her pending legislation Tuesday with Commerce Secretary Don Evans and pledged to work with him on the details.

“Secretary Evans was very cordial,” a Boxer aide said. “He made no commitment, but said the administration wants to get people flying again and tourism back up.”

Boxer had not yet suggested a funding level for the tourism office, but its last annual appropriation was for $26 million, an aide said.