Hiki paha i nā kānāwai mālama ola ke ʻohi i ka hapa nui o nā poʻomanaʻo i kēia mau lā, akā mamao loa ia mai ka bila wale nō e hoʻolaha ana ma Capitol Hill. ʻO kekahi ʻāpana kānāwai hou e hele mālie ana i ka pākaukau o Pelekikena Obama ʻo ka Travel Promotion Act (TPA) - ua ʻae ʻia e ka Senate a aia i kēia manawa i mua o ka Hale - nāna e hoʻokumu i ka papa hoʻokele waiwai mua o ka ʻāina.

Ma kahi o kēlā me kēia ʻāina o ka honua, nui a liʻiliʻi, loaʻa kahi keʻena mākaʻikaʻi kūhelu e hoʻokipa i nā malihini i kona kahakai. Aia ʻo Tiny Tunisia he 24 mau keʻena mākaʻikaʻi ma 19 mau ʻāina a puni ka honua. He 10 mau keʻena ʻo ʻApelika Hema ma nā ʻāina ʻehā. ʻAʻohe o ʻAmelika, e hilinaʻi ana i ka ʻoihana pilikino e huki i nā mākaʻikaʻi. "ʻO nā mokulele, nā mea hoʻokele huakaʻi, nā hōkele - ua loaʻa iā lākou ke kuleana o ka hoʻolaha ʻana iā ʻAmelika," wahi a Henry Harteveldt, kahi loiloi ʻoihana huakaʻi ma Forrester Research ma Kapalakiko. "Ua haʻalele ke aupuni i kēia mau ʻano hana a ʻo ka hopena, ua nalowale mākou i nā huakaʻi."

ʻOiaʻiʻo, ʻoiai ua hoʻonui ʻia ka huakaʻi huakaʻi honua, mai 124 miliona mau huakaʻi honua ma 2000 a 173 miliona i ka makahiki i hala, ua ticked iho nā kipa makahiki e nā haole i ʻAmelika, mai 26 miliona ma 2000 a 25.3 miliona ma 2008. he mea liʻiliʻi, a hiki i kou noʻonoʻo ʻana ua lilo ka ʻāina i kahi $ 27 biliona i nalowale i ka loaʻa kālā ʻauhau i nā makahiki he ʻumi i hala. Me nā pae hana ʻole i kēia manawa ma luna o 10% ma US, ʻaʻole i ʻoi aku ka wikiwiki o nā pono waiwai o ka huakaʻi haole, akā ʻaʻole i emi iki nā malihini. "Ke hoʻokipa nei mākou i ka liʻiliʻi a me ka liʻiliʻi o nā malihini kipa i kēlā me kēia makahiki," kanikau ʻo Geoff Freeman, ka hope pelekikena kiʻekiʻe o nā ʻoihana lehulehu ma US Travel, ka hui hoʻolaha ʻoihana huakaʻi alakaʻi o ka lāhui.

ʻO ke kōkua ʻana i ka mālama ʻana i ka poʻe huakaʻi ma ke kai, ʻoi aku ka paʻa o ka visa, ʻoi aku ka paʻakikī o ke komo ʻana ma nā keʻena immigration a me ka piʻi nui ʻana o ka manaʻo anti-ʻAmelika ma hope o nā kaua ma Iraq a me Afghanistan. "Ua lawe wale mākou i nā huakaʻi haole a manaʻo hewa lākou e hele mau lākou," wahi a Harteveldt.

Manaʻo ka poʻe kiaʻi ma Wakinekona e hala ka TPA i ka Senate ma ka hopena o ka makahiki. Ke kau ʻia, e hana ʻia ʻelua hui hou - ʻo ke Office of Travel Promotion a me ka Hui no ka Travel Promotion - e kōkua i nā malihini kipa e komo maoli i ka ʻāina. E lilo nā keʻena i kumu waiwai no nā huakaʻi a me ka ʻoihana huakaʻi, e wehewehe ana i nā hoʻoponopono visa a me nā koi komo, e hāʻawi ana i ka ʻikepili huakaʻi a me ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā hoʻolaha kūʻai. ʻO ka mea nui loa, ma ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka lāhui holoʻokoʻa - ma mua o kahi mokulele a i ʻole kahi huakaʻi kikoʻī - ʻōlelo ka poʻe kākoʻo TPA hiki i ka bila ke hoʻowalewale i ka 1.6 miliona mau mākaʻikaʻi hou e kipa aku iā ʻAmelika i kēlā me kēia makahiki. ʻO ia ka mea i manaʻo ʻia he $4 biliona i nā pōmaikaʻi waiwai, hiki ke loaʻa i kahi 40,000 mau hana hou.

"ʻO ke kānāwai hou e pili ana i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā hana a me ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka hana waiwai," wehewehe ʻo Senatoa Byron Dorgan (D-ND), ke kākoʻo nui o ka bila a he lālā alakaʻi o ka Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. "E kōkua nō hoʻi ia e kau i kahi maka lehulehu i ka lāhui," hoʻohui ʻo Dorgan. "ʻOiai e hana ikaika ana nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe e hoʻohiwahiwa i ka poʻe huakaʻi, ʻike mākou e hoʻouna ana i kahi leka ʻaʻole mākou makemake iā lākou ma aneʻi."

Loaʻa i ka TPA ka waihona kālā a hiki i $200 miliona, i kākoʻo ʻia e nā haʻawina mai ka ʻoihana kūʻokoʻa (nā hōkele a me nā mokulele, no ka laʻana) a me kahi uku hou $10 e uku ʻia e kekahi malihini e komo ana ʻaʻole koi i kahi visa komo. Ua hōʻike ʻia ka mea hope i ka hoʻopaʻapaʻa - ʻoi aku ka nui o ka poʻe huakaʻi ʻEulopa e pono e hakakā me kēlā mau kumukūʻai. ʻO Ambassador John Bruton, ke poʻo o ka ʻelele Komisina ʻEulopa i ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, ua kapa ʻia ka "hoʻokae" i loko o kahi ʻōlelo Sepatemaba, a ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia e hiki ke lilo i "hope i hope i kā mākou hui pū ʻana i ka transatlantic mobility."

ʻOiai e "huna" ʻia ka uku i loko o nā mokulele, hopohopo ʻo Harteveldt i hiki ke hana hope loa i nā hana TPA a "hoʻi hou mai e hoʻohau iā mākou." Akā ke helu nei ʻo Senatoa Dorgan he ʻoi aku ka haʻahaʻa o $ 10 ma mua o nā uku like - mai ka ʻauhau komo ʻana o Ireland i $14 a hiki i ka UK whopping $100 - uku ʻia e nā ʻAmelika i ko lākou huakaʻi ʻana i waho. A me nā ʻāina he 35 wale nō e koi ʻia e uku i ka uku, ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi ma mua o 30% o nā huakaʻi malihini.

He ʻumi makahiki i hala aku nei mai ka wā i hoʻāʻo mua ai ke Aupuni ʻAmelika e hoʻokumu i keʻena mākaʻikaʻi kūhelu. I ka makahiki 1996, ma lalo o ka Pelekikena Bill Clinton, ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka US National Tourism Organization, a haʻalele wale ʻia ʻekolu makahiki ma hope no ka lawa ʻole o ke kālā Congressional - e like me nā hana ma hope o 2001 a me 2003. , ua ʻike ʻia ua loaʻa nā kākoʻo kūpono e hoʻoholo ʻia i kānāwai - a hoʻopaʻa kālā ʻia i ka hana. Ua ʻae ʻo US Travel's Freeman he makahiki ʻē aʻe ma mua o ka holo ʻana o ke Keʻena Hoʻolaha Kaʻahele. Akā ua hilinaʻi ʻo ia e ʻike ana ʻo Wakinekona i ka pōmaikaʻi o ka hoʻonui ʻia ʻana o ka huakaʻi haole i ka hoʻihoʻi kālā o ka lāhui. "ʻO kēia ka hua haʻahaʻa e hoʻoponopono ai i ka hoʻokele waiwai," wahi a Freeman. "He mea maopopo loa ia e like me kāu e noʻonoʻo ai - a ke manaʻo nei mākou ua ʻike maopopo ʻo Kakauolelo Clinton a me Pelekikena Obama i kēia."