U.S. Department of Commerce

International Trade Administration
Manufacturing and Services
Office of Travel and Tourism Industries

As every country maintains a National Tourism Office, the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) fulfills this inherent federal role of expanding travel and tourism business opportunities for employment and economic growth. The Office is housed in the International Trade Administration, Manufacturing and Services Bureau, Services Division.

Based on Section 10 of Public Law 104-288, known as the National Tourism Organization Act of 1996, the Secretary of Commerce is responsible for performing critical tourism functions such as to collect and publish comprehensive international travel and tourism statistics and other marketing information, facilitate in the reduction of barriers to travel, represent the United States international travel and tourism interests to foreign governments, and maintain the U.S. participation in international travel and tourism trade shows, as well as develop and implement a comprehensive tourism policy and plan.

The primary functions of OTTI are:

• management of the travel and tourism statistical system for assessing the economic contribution of the industry and providing the sole source for characteristic statistics on international travel to and from the United States;
• design and administration of an international promotion program and export expansion activities;
• development and management of tourism policy, strategy and advocacy; and
• technical assistance for expanding this key export (international in-bound tourism) and assisting in domestic economic development.

The current Office is managed and led by Helen Marano, Director, and comprises 12 FTE. Ms. Marano, on behalf of OTTI, reports directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services, Ana Guevara, who supervises the work product and staffing of OTTI, along with all other Services offices within the Department of Commerce. DAS Guevara reports directly to Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, Albert A. Frink, who has high-level responsibility for all offices responsible for manufacturing and services areas.