WASHINGTON – U.S. Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Kenneth Hyatt will highlight the importance of the travel and tourism to U.S. economy and American jobs at the U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow (IPW) 2013, June 10-11, in Las Vegas. While there, he will release the 2012 international visitation statistics and provide an update on progress made on implementing President Obama’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy. The Strategy aims to attract and welcome 100 million international visitors annually to the United States by the end of 2021, and strengthen this important sector of the U.S. economy.
Hyatt will kick off his IPW visit by participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony that opens the show on June 10. Immediately following the ceremony, Hyatt will participate in the Media Marketplace, where he will highlight the Obama Administration’s efforts to support the travel and tourism industry and take questions from the media.
Hyatt will also participate in the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) meeting. The TTAB advises the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. Its members represent a broad cross-section of the industry, including transportation services, financial services, and hotels and restaurants, as well as a mix of small and large firms from across the country.
On June 11, Hyatt will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which will make it an official Strategic Partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The partnership brings together the expertise of the Department and the LVCVA to help Southern Nevada businesses expand exports, strengthen the tourism industry in the state and increase the U.S. market share of worldwide travel, and promote international travel to the United States in support of the National Travel and Tourism Strategy.
The travel and tourism industry is a key contributor to the strength of the U.S. economy. In 2012 alone, travel and tourism accounted for a record 27 percent of all services exports, and 8 percent of all U.S. exports. Travel and tourism supported 7.6 million American jobs in 2012 and represented a $1.2 trillion sector of the U.S. economy.
MONDAY, JUNE 10
WHO: Kenneth Hyatt
U.S. Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
WHAT: IPW Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
8:30-9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center
Hall C3
3150 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
WHAT: Media Marketplace
WHEN: June 10, 2013
9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center
Central Hall 1 – Booth 212
3150 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
WHAT: Travel and Tourism Advisory Board Meeting
WHEN: June 10, 2013
2:00-5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center
Room N237-N241
3150 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
TUESDAY, JUNE 11
WHO: Kenneth Hyatt
U.S. Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
WHAT: MOU signing with Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
WHEN: June 11, 2013
9:00-9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center
LVCVA Board Room
3150 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
