ABSTRACT
Jonathan Tisch has called for the hospitality industry to become more active players in shaping public policy. Tisch cited the importance of public policy issues involving immigration and international marketing. He stated, ‘We need to have a free flow of commerce to help diminish the view of fortress America’ (Barbara, 2006). This comment also speaks to the perception or image of the United States held by people around the globe. Tisch also pointed out, as has been previously mentioned throughout
this book, that the US government spends far less on tourism than does other countries. In fact, national tourism spending is a diminutive amount of the overall federal budget in the United States. The case study of this chapter, which is a cost-benefit analysis of coordinating international visitor information collection and distribution in the United States, addresses this issue in part. Tisch noted that important government leaders are listening to the hos-
pitality industry as progress has been made in recent years in getting the attention of political decision makers. Much of this progress has been the result of the tireless efforts of many of the industry trade associations that have governmental affairs arms, including those previously described in this text. In recent years, the industry has become better organized, which is
beginning to catch the attention of political decision makers. Another factor that has contributed to the increased attention is the decline of many traditional industries in most communities, such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture. In many areas, these traditional industries are being replaced with tourism, as civic leaders look for ways to sustain their communities. The increasing economic importance of tourism has given the industry more political power.
