PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Department of Commerce Names Marketing Contractor for International Tourism Promotion Campaign

The U.S. Department of Commerce today awarded Edelman of Chicago, Ill., a contract to develop and implement a marketing campaign to encourage international visitation to the United States from the United Kingdom, America's largest overseas market. This campaign will mark the first time the U.S. government has created a fully integrated campaign to showcase the United States as a tourism destination.

The U.S. travel and tourism industry is the fourth largest export for the U.S., bringing $84 billion into our economy and contributing $6 billion to our balance of trade surplus in 2002. International travel supports over one million jobs in the travel and tourism industry in the United States.

For more information on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Campaign, visit http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/about/us_promo_campaign/index.html.