John Kerry: “I rise today in support of the nomination of C. Gregory Farmer of Florida as Under Secretary of Commerce. If confirmed…”

“I rise today in support of the nomination of C. Gregory Farmer of Florida as Under Secretary of Commerce. If confirmed, Mr. Farmer will lead the U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration [USTTA] within the Department of Commerce and will be charged with the responsibility of promoting the United States as an international travel destination. When speaking to tourism groups, Greg likes to tell of the time he embarked on an ambitious vacation of bicycling in--of all places--the Grand Canyon. In all seriousness, his job at USTTA may be a similar experience. Last year, the House voted to eliminate funding for USTTA, and the agency undoubtedly will face another round of skepticism this year. Simply put, USTTA must do a better job of showing that its expenditures generate sales for the U.S. tourism industry. Furthermore, it must be a strong voice of policy for this diverse industry, whose success is sensitive to even a tinkering in a number of government activities, from airline regulation to immigration procedures. The United States now boasts a healthy $20 billion trade surplus in tourism, and with worldwide travel expected to double by 2005, we must have a strategy for maintaining our market share. Although our House colleagues have questioned a number of USTTA's activities, there should be no doubts about the importance of tourism to the U.S. economy.”