NEW ORLEANS—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez today announced that the Commerce Department will invest $500,000 in Economic Development Administration funds to promote travel and tourism in the Gulf Coast region. The funds will help the Gulf Coast's tourism industry recover. The federal money will be leveraged to pull in additional resources from the private sector and other regional partners, which could total $1 million.
"Travel and tourism was the number one employer that provided thousands of jobs in New Orleans before hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said Gutierrez. "As the Gulf Coast rebuilds, we will make it clear that New Orleans is open for business." In New Orleans, Gutierrez also announced other Commerce Department initiatives to help the region recover. They include: The U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board was chartered in 2003 to advise the Secretary of Commerce on the development, creation and implementation of an international tourism promotion campaign. It was re-chartered last year and its duties expanded to include advising the Secretary of Commerce more broadly on government policies and programs that affect U.S. travel and tourism and developing a national tourism strategy.
The board met in New Orleans to reiterate the administration's support for rebuilding of the Gulf Coast Region on all levels.
The U.S. travel and tourism industry is the largest services sector export for the U.S. economy, responsible for nearly 8 million jobs in the United States. In 2004, the United States experienced the first year of double-digit growth in international arrivals since 1992.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
