It's time for another round of applause for travel people and travel companies, even government agencies, that have Done the Right Thing.
First off, a million ovations each to Marriott, Disney and Best Western for making cash contributions of $1 million to the Corporation for Travel Promotion, now operating as Brand USA. The leveraging effect of these contributions is a wonderful thing to behold.
The government is matching industry contributions to the corporation on a two-for-one basis this year. To be eligible for the federal match, industry contributions can be in-kind donations of goods and services, but 20% of the total must be cash. Thus, the recently received $3 million in cash can be paired with $12 million in goods and services, qualifying for matching funds of $30 million.
This year, Brand USA is hoping to solicit $50 million from the industry ($10 million of which would have to be cash) in order to claim $100 million in matching federal funds for its global Visit USA advertising.
Dozens of financial commitments have already been received from businesses, destinations and individuals. The $3 million from these three companies is a great way to start the year.
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While we're on the subject of promoting and facilitating travel, we can thank the Department of Homeland Security for deciding to expand the Global Entry program and make it permanent. This is the program of Customs and Border Protection that enables U.S. residents, Mexican nationals and certain citizens of the Netherlands to register, undergo a background check and biometric scan (a digital fingerprint) and qualify for expedited processing at automated kiosks when entering or returning to the U.S. by air.
Created as a pilot program in 2008, Global Entry has been operating at 20 airports but can now expand to serve Minneapolis, Charlotte, Denver and Phoenix. The U.S. Travel Association says this will make the benefits of the program available at airports serving 97% of international travelers.
We think it would have broader appeal if it didn't cost $100, but that's a topic for another day. In the meantime, kudos to U.S. Travel for its long and successful advocacy of this program.
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Kudos, also, to the American traveling public, for getting and keeping passports. The State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs did not issue an especially large number of passports last year, but it has issued or renewed more than 10 million a year since 2005. As a result, there were 109.8 million valid passports in the hands of U.S. citizens at the end of fiscal 2011, 8 million more than in 2010 and more than double the number reported for 2001. (And while we're on this subject, make a note: Passport Day in the USA, a day when application centers will be open on Saturday for walk-ins without an appointment, is set for March 10.)
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Finally, a salute to Congress for passing a long-term (four-year) funding bill for the FAA. The last one expired in 2007, and we have been subjected to 23 stop-gap measures since then, culminating in last summer's embarrassing funding lapse.
The new bill continues development of a Next Generation air traffic control system based on GPS technology and (wisely in an election year) holds the line on aviation taxes. We'll take it.