On February 20, 2003, President Bush signed the Omnibus Appropriation Act for
FY 2003 into law. Included in this appropriation was Sec. 210, which authorized
the Secretary of Commerce to award grants and make lump sum payments in support
of an international advertising and promotional campaign to encourage
individuals to travel to the United States. The Omnibus Appropriation both
authorized and appropriated $50,000,000 for this campaign.
The Act requires the Secretary to appoint the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory
Board, which will recommend appropriate coordinated activities to the Secretary
for funding. The Board will comprise CEO’s of tourism-related entities. The
Secretary will consult with the Board on the disbursement of funds.
The following are members of the Advisory Board:
Manuel Cortez
President & CEO
Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
Las Vegas, Nevada
Charles A. Gargano
Chairman & CEO
Empire State
Development Corp
New York, New York
Noel Irwin Hentschel
Chairman & CEO
American Tours International
Los Angeles, California
William L. Hyde, Jr.
President & CEO
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Metairie, Louisiana
Jonathan Linen
Vice Chairman
American Express
New York, New York
Jeremy Jacobs
Chairman & CEO
Delaware North Co.
Buffalo, New York
J. W. Marriott, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Marriott International, Inc.
Washington, DC
Henry Silverman
President & CEO
CENDANT Corp.
New York, New York
Manny Stamatakis
Board Member
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Barry Sternlicht
Chairman & CEO
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
White Plains, New York
Robert Taubman
Chairman & CEO
The Taubman Company
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Glenn Tilton
Chairman & CEO
United Airlines
Chicago, Illinois
Jonathan Tisch
Chairman & CEO
Loews Hotels
New York, NY
Chris von Imhof
President
Alaska International Airport Tourism Marketing Council
Girdwood, Alaska
Please click here to join CIMPA at the Advisory
Board's January meeting