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National Strategy Unveiled to Boost U.S. Tourism

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Making the United States a more desirable and accessible international destination: that's the crux of a new, national campaign unveiled this week. The government's plan is to spur economic growth through the travel and tourism industry.

The national campaign was launched in partnership with local tourism leaders, and includes streamlining the travel visa process and expands consular offices to meet demand abroad.

"This just elevates travel and tourism as a national priority," summed up the San Francisco Travel Association's John Ballesteros. "Often times folks decide that they don't want to go through (the visa process), they've got a visit that they want to take and instead of waiting the 140 days that it was sometimes taking to get their visa, they decide to go somewhere else."

Travel and tourism is San Francisco's largest industry, generating an estimated $8.5 Billion annually.

KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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