Notice2024-11081
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of International Air Travelers
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 21, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44634-44635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11081]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Survey of International Air Travelers
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before July 22, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
mail to Richard Champley, Program Manager, and Contracting Officer
Representative (COR), ITA, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ec9e858f848d9e88c28f848d819c808995ac989e8d8889c28b839a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bfcdd6dcd7decddb91dcd7ded2cfd3dac6ffcbcddedbda91d8d0c9">[email protected]</span></a>, (202) 482-4753
or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#92c2c0d3d2e6e0f3f6f7bcf5fde4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4c1c1e0d0c383e2d2829622b233a">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control Number 0625-0227 in the
subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Richard Champley, Program Manager, and Contracting Officer
Representative (COR), ITA National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO).
Contact information: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#61130802090013054f0209000c110d04182115130005044f060e17"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4c3e252f242d3e28622f242d213c2029350c383e2d2829622b233a">[email protected]</span></a> (202) 482-4753).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The ``Survey of International Air Travelers'' (Survey/SIAT)
program, administered by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO)
of the International Trade Administration provides source data required
to: (1) estimate international travel and passenger fare exports,
imports and the trade balance for the United States, (2) comply with
the U.S. Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-145), collect a one
percent sample of inbound travelers, analyze and report information to
government and industry stakeholders, and support the increase of U.S.
exports, (3) to comply with the 1961, 1981, and 1996 travel and tourism
related acts to collect and publish comprehensive international travel
and tourism, statistics and other marketing information, and (4)
support the continuation of the Travel & Tourism Satellite Accounts for
the United States, which provide the only spending and employment
figures for the industry, and (5) to support the goals of objectives of
the 2022 National Travel & Tourism Strategy.
The Survey program contains the core data that is collected,
analyzed, and communicated by NTTO with other government agencies,
associations and businesses that share the same objective of increasing
U.S. international travel exports. The Survey assists NTTO in assessing
the economic impact of international travel on state and local
economies, providing visitation estimates, key market intelligence, and
identifying traveler and trip characteristics. The U.S. Department of
[[Page 44635]]
Commerce assists travel industry enterprises to increase international
travel and passenger fare exports and imports for the country as well
as travel on U.S. and foreign carriers. The Survey program provides the
only available estimates of nonresident visitation to the states and
cities within the United States, as well as U.S. resident travel
abroad.
A revised (major) survey instrument (questionnaire) (English
version plus its translations into eleven foreign languages) was
implemented in 2012. It reflects input from over 70 respondents,
including: Travel Industry (airlines, travel associations,
destinations, lodging); Consultants; Financial Firms; Educational
Institutions; and other U.S. Government Agencies. A minor (`non-
substantive') change was implemented in 2016 to better reflect the
visitor's entry experience into the United States. This was requested
by the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to measure
compliance with U.S. National Goals.
The 2012 and 2016 revised Survey questionnaire reflect changes in
various questions relating to: trip purpose; payment methods; booking/
information sources; additional package components, health care/
vaccinations, travel insurance information, additional transportation
utilized, assessment of the visitor's entry and overall experience; and
intentions for further travel to the United States; and ethnicity/race.
Several questions from the pre-existing 1996 questionnaire were
eliminated to further streamline the survey.
Changes envisioned are: (1) enhanced testing of the QR code/Mobile
phone approach to leverage international airlines' growing capability
of offering international Wi-Fi to its on-board passengers; (2) further
evaluation of a `short form' version of the paper questionnaire (23 of
the existing 33 questions) to reduce burden and improve passenger
response rates when time is limited in the boarding area or in markets
that tend to be less responsive; (3) evaluation of `incentives' that
could be utilized to encourage an increased number of passenger
responses. (4) Recommendations from the United States. Travel & Tourism
Advisory Board (TTAB).
II. Method of Collection
The survey instrument/questionnaire (`Survey of International Air
Travelers', a/k/a SIAT) continues to be in paper format and is self-
administered by the passenger who volunteers to take the survey, either
while in the departure gate area or on-board the flight. The flights
are randomly selected, and this approach is described as `cluster
sampling.' The majority (95%) of the passenger surveys are collected in
U.S. airport departure gate areas. About 5% of all the passenger
surveys are collected during flight (on-board) post departure (Canada-
air has been included as part of the program in 2020). U.S. and foreign
flag airlines that volunteer to participate in the Survey program
enable the collection in U.S. departure gate areas and on-board
flights.
NTTO is planning to change the format to electronic/digital or to
an equally statistically valid process once compelling results have
been attained. To date there have been five `e-Survey' tests: The first
test was in partnership with Global Distribution Systems (GDS); the
second and third tests were with major airlines in their respective
boarding areas to leverage passenger's personal electronic devices
(PED) and Wi-Fi capabilities in the airports and on-board certain
flights; the fourth test used `tablet' devices to capture passenger
responses in the airport gate area at a major gateway airport; and the
fifth test again tested passenger PEDs (mobile phone) through use of a
`QR' code since there have been improvements in Wi-Fi capabilities. The
latter approach (QR/Mobile) was used to a limited degree during the
2020-2021 Pandemic period with negligible results due more to passenger
reluctance to physical contact rather than adverse reaction to the
collection method. Other tests are planned in the foreseeable future
based on recommendations from the United States Travel and Tourism
Advisory Board (TTAB).
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0625-0227.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Extension of current
information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 300,000 due to mandate of the U.S.
Travel Promotion Act of 2009 which requires `one percent' sample of
overseas arrivals.
Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 75,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.00.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Public Law 111-145.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this Information Collection Request (ICR). Before
including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-11081 Filed 5-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P
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