FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
IFA APPLAUDS HOUSE VOTE TO REAUTHORIZE BRAND USA
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014 —International Franchise Association President & CEO Steve Caldeira, CFE, applauded the House of Representatives in a statement today for passing H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement and Modernization Act of 2014. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Peter Welch (D-VT), wouldreauthorize Brand USA, a public-private partnership and marketing campaign to help the U.S. capture a larger share of the global travel market.
“The Brand USA program has beenenormously effective and has allowed American businesses to ride the wave of the increasingly growing travel andtourism industry without costing taxpayers a single dollar. Travelers to the U.S. are significant customers for the nearly 770,000 franchise locations nationwide , that include hotels, restaurants and retail businesses. Making it easier for foreign visitors to travel to the United States will help the franchise industry continue to grow and create the jobs this country urgently needs.
“The IFA strongly supports common-senseprograms that take more aggressive steps to boost the U.S. share of the international tourism market. We thank Reps. Bilirakis and Welch for their leadership on this important issue.”
###
About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.
1501 K Street, N.W., Suite 350 Washington, DC 20005 USA
Phone: +1 202/628-8000 Fax: +1 202/628-0812 www.franchise.org