Should the Secretary of State Develop a Strategy to Bolster Tourism Between the U.S. & Mexico? (H.R. 951)

What is H.R. 951?

(Updated September 2, 2019)

This bill — the United States-Mexico Tourism Improvement Act of 2019 — would direct the Secretary of State to create a strategy to deepen bilateral tourism with Mexico, improve third-party tourism to both countries via joint promotional efforts, and expand the tourism industries in both the U.S. and Mexico through the High Level Economic Dialogue platform.

Argument in favor

Declining Mexican tourism to the U.S. is costing the tourism industry billions of dollars. For the sake of this industry and maintaining U.S.-Mexico dialogue, the U.S. should seek to encourage Mexican tourism to America and vice versa.

Argument opposed

There are a lot of reasons that Mexican tourism to the U.S. has declined and while a strategy to boost tourism may help, there’s no guarantee there will be a noticeable uplift in tourism because the Secretary of State alone can’t do much.

Impact

Tourism; U.S. tourism to Mexico; Mexican tourism to the U.S.; High Level Economic Dialogue platform; and the Secretary of State.

Cost of H.R. 951

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost less than $500,000 each year, totalling $1 million over the 2019-2024 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: This bill was introduced by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) to boost tourism from Mexico to the U.S.

In a letter to Rep. Cuellar, the American Dental Association (ADA) expressed concerns about this bill’s potential to increase dental tourism from the U.S. to Mexico:

“[This bill] would expand the tourism industries in the United States and Mexico by emphasizing exchanges in various sectors, including dental care. The Secretary of State would develop a strategy to develop this type of tourism, including fostering partnerships between dental institutions in the United States and Mexico. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) serves the oral health needs of the public through the development and administration of standards that foster continuous quality improvement of dental and dental-related educational programs. Accreditation ensures academic quality and public accountability… Currently, no Mexican dental schools are accredited through CODA… We believe that, until Mexican programs have received CODA accreditation, U.S. dental institutions should not build relationships with Mexican institutions for the purpose of having patients visit Mexican facilities for treatment. The patient sense of security mentioned in [this bill] cannot be guaranteed without CODA accreditation. We urge you to include this in your legislation. Additionally, when assessing the feasibility of building partnerships among dental institutions between the United States and Mexico, we urge the United States to consider other factors critical to patient safety, such as licensure of dentists and facilities following accepted asepsis, infection control and biohazard control protocols. These safeguards are critical components to dental care that patients in the United States take for granted. Lack of attention to these details may lead to a false sense of security for patients seeking care outside of the United States.”

This bill passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee with the support of four bipartisan cosponsors, including three Democrats and one Republican.

Of Note: Mexican tourism to the U.S. peaked in 2016, with Mexican tourists accounting for 24.9% (19 million) of all visitors to the U.S. that year and spending $20.3 billion. Since 2016, Mexican tourism to the U.S. has declined each year, even as overall international tourism to the U.S. has increased. In 2017, there was a 6.1% decline in Mexican visitors to the U.S., costing the U.S. $1.24 billion in revenue.

Mexico has slashed funding intended to promote inbound tourism. It’s also expected to close all of the Mexico Tourism Board’s international tourism offices in favor of building a Yucatan rail line connecting tourist destinations in the country.

The High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) between the U.S. and Mexico was established in 2013 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Peña Nieto to serve as a flexible platform for advancing strategic and commercial priorities central to promoting mutual economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness. The HLED has three strategic priority areas: 1) promoting competitiveness and connectivity; 2) fostering economic growth, productivity and innovation; and 3) partnering for regional and global leadership.

Media:

• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• American Dental Association (ADA) Letter (Opposed)
  
• Travel Weekly