By Colleen McCain Nelson
President Barack Obama is hoping to use the national pastime to
draw more international visitors to the U.S., as he travels
Thursday to the Baseball Hall of Fame to highlight the importance
of tourism.
For the president, a Chicago White Sox fan, the quick trip to
Cooperstown, N.Y., is a chance to soak up a bit of baseball
history. But White House officials said there also is an economic
impetus for the excursion.
Travel and tourism are major drivers in the economy, generating
spending and spurring job creation, said Jeffrey Zients, director
of the National Economic Council.
"More international visitors equal more jobs. It's that simple,"
he said.
Last year, 70 million international visitors spent about $181
billion in the U.S., according to government data.
The White House hopes to build on that, and on Thursday Mr.
Obama signed a presidential memorandum calling for a reduction in
wait times for international travelers arriving at the 15 largest
U.S. airports. He also met with executives from travel and tourism
companies, who afterward described significant progress marketing
the U.S. overseas and issuing visas to foreign travelers.
The focus now is on treatment of visitors when passing through
customs and immigration, executives said following the meeting with
the president.
"The next piece of that is when they arrive here, that it's a
welcoming experience," said John Sprouls, executive vice president
and chief administrative officer for NBCUniversal's Universal Parks
and Resorts. "Tourism is one of our top exports and it drives jobs
and it is one of the easiest industries to continue to grow and
create more jobs in our economy."
Christopher Thompson, president and chief executive of Brand
USA, the public-private partnership that promotes international
travel to the U.S., said Mr. Obama's call for expedited entry would
help attract more visitors from around the world.
"If they're waiting in two- and three-hour lines processing,
that's not very welcoming," Mr. Thompson said.
In a series of events, the White House this week has focused on
the economic impact of tourism and foreign investment in the U.S.
On Wednesday, Mr. Obama established the Organ Mountains-Desert
Peaks National Monument in south-central New Mexico.
"We're not just preserving history," the president said.
"Outdoor recreation at parks and forests and other public lands
brings in tourism dollars."
While administration officials underscored the public-policy
elements of Thursday's trip to Cooperstown, they also acknowledged
that it would be just plain fun.
"Everybody wants to go," White House senior adviser Valerie
Jarrett said of her colleagues. "It's going to be a very cool
day."
According to the White House, the following executives met with
Mr. Obama, Mr. Zients, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, and Deputy
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas:
Jim Abrahamson, CEO, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO, Wyndham Hotel Group
John Caparella, President and COO, The Venetian & Palazzo
Resorts and Sands Expo Center
Stephen Cloobeck, Founder and Chairman, Diamond Resorts
International
Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association
Barney Harford, CEO, Orbitz Worldwide
Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO, Hyatt Hotels
Corporation
Jeremy "Jerry" Jacobs Jr., Principal, Delaware North
Companies
Stephen Joyce, President and CEO, Choice Hotels
International
Tom Klein, President and CEO, Sabre Holdings
Christopher "Chris" Nassetta, President and CEO, Hilton
Worldwide
Joseph "Joe" Popolo, Jr., CEO, Freeman
Trudy Rautio, President and CEO, Carlson
Sergio Rivera, President, The Americas, Starwood Hotels and
Resorts Worldwide
Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International
John Sprouls, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative
Officer, Universal Parks and Resorts
Greg Stubblefield, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice
President, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
W. Edward "Ed" Walter, President and CEO, Host Hotels &
Resorts
Paul Whetsell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Loews
Hotels
Anre Williams, President, Global Merchant Services, American
Express Company
Jeffrey Sparshott contributed to this article.
Write to Colleen McCain Nelson at colleen.nelson@wsj.com
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