TORONTO — U.S. lawmakers are moving to shore up cross-border travel with new legislation designed to revive tourism flows between the United States, Canada and Mexico, as American destinations grapple with softer international visitation, particularly from Canada.

As reported by the National Post, a bipartisan group of senators and House representatives has introduced the USMCA Travel and Tourism Resiliency Act, a bill aimed at giving the tourism sector a formal voice in the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known in Canada as CUSMA.

The proposed legislation comes at a time when the U.S. travel sector has shown signs of strain. In 2024, U.S. travel and tourism activity was valued at US$1.3 trillion and supported 15 million jobs. Over the past year however, the country has experienced a downturn in international arrivals, with Canadian visitation notably affected.

Backers of the bill argue that closer co-ordination among the three North American partners is essential to reversing that trend. The Act would require the U.S. Trade Representative to push for the creation of a Travel and Tourism Trade Working Group during the forthcoming joint review of USMCA/CUSMA.

“For districts like ours that welcome millions of visitors each year, tourism isn’t just an industry, it’s a driver of jobs and economic growth,” says Vern Buchanan, a veteran Florida Republican congressman and one of the bill’s co-sponsors.

He adds that the legislation “will ensure travel and tourism are fully represented during the upcoming USMCA joint review and to keep our economy open for business.”

If established, the Travel and Tourism Trade Working Group would be co-chaired by representatives from all three countries and composed of officials responsible for travel and tourism policy. Its mandate would include boosting North America’s competitiveness as a tourism region, increasing travel and tourism exports and supporting job creation and economic growth across the continent.

Currently, CUSMA includes working groups dedicated to areas such as labour, the environment and automotive rules of origin. There is no permanent body focused exclusively on travel and tourism policy or co-ordination, something supporters of the new bill say is a gap that needs to be addressed.

The timing is also strategic. Sponsors of the legislation point to upcoming milestone events, including America’s 250th anniversary celebrations in July, which are expected to generate elevated domestic and international travel. They argue that a unified North American approach could help maximize those opportunities.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means for consideration.