White House National Travel And Tourism Strategy Highlights Importance of Mexico and Border Infrastructure

This week the White House unveiled their National Travel & Tourism Strategy from the Task Force on Travel & Competitiveness.

NPI is  proud of the work we did to elevate the importance of the southwest border region and in particular  Mexico to enhancing tourism and travel into the United States. The core of our argument made it  high up in the report.

“Our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, currently are the top two markets for international travelers to the United States. In 2011, 21 million Canadian nationals visited the United States, followed by Mexico with 13 million visitors, accounting for exports of $24 billion and $9 billion, respectively.22 Mexico represents a near-term opportunity for increasing travel to the United States because of its growing middle class and strong cultural ties.”

NDN/NPI also advocated that the report highlight the importance of enhancing our border infrastructure as a means of increasing tourism and transportation. This also made it into the report:

Strategy 5: Maintain and Improve Transportation Infrastructure

• Invest in infrastructure. Continue efforts to improve transportation and Land Port of Entry infrastructure related to U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossings. Implement on-going and new, as budget allows, U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossing infrastructure projects, including projects to improve inspection plazas, roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. 

For more from our report Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States and the 21st Century Border Initiative program please go to 21border.com.