US Tourism Industry Continues Bashing America

The US tourism industry continues to be more concerned with lining its own pockets than protecting Americans’ security.

Last November, I and Tim Carney published columns in the Examiner (both are available here) about the tourism industry’s efforts to undermine US border security and at the international visitor and US taxpayer’s expense promote the profitable $1 trillion US tourism industry’s profits. Travel industry front Discover America Partnership is the forefront of this political effort, the Travel Promotion Act.

Discover America’s executives took issue with our columns, but couldn’t refute our facts.

Travel industry newsletter Travel Mole today has its since November 2006 North America Editor, David Wilkening, quoting Marriott International’s chief financial officer: “I think you probably need not just a new occupant in the White House, but you probably need some meaningful change in visa policy to get some of that lost share back.” Marriott is a leading sponsor of Discover America, as are Disney, Anheuser-Busch and American Express.

David Wilkening, otherwise a freelance travel writer, has also written glowingly of the business prospects inviting the US to end its boycott of Cuba, while not mentioning either the Cuban repression of its people or Cuba’s continuing subversive efforts throughout the Western hemisphere.

Meanwhile, back at the real world, the European Union, while bristling at US security measures, has its own EU Justice Minister proposing border security measures stronger than the US’. Predictably, advocates of illegal entry to the EU are bristling.

The Travel Promotion Act,(Senate version S.1661, House version H.R.3232) have not yet been voted upon. There’s still time for you to weigh in with your senators and congressman as to your preference.