FOUR FLORIDA AIRPORTS NAMED IN MODEL PORTS PROGRAM

Tallahassee, Fla. (Apr. 29, 2008) - The U.S. Custom and Border Control (CBP) is receiving praise from VISIT FLORIDA®, the state's official marketing corporation for expanding its signature "Model Ports" program.   The expanded program now includes the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Sanford airports, which were selected based on their number of international arrivals. 

"Travelers receive their first impression of Florida and of the United States when they arrive at our airports. We commend the Travel Industry Association and the Florida tourism industry for their efforts to encourage Congress to make our entry points more welcoming to our guests," said Bud Nocera, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.  "We appreciate Congress's significant contributions to implement this program, which will help restore America's image with international visitors. America's security and American hospitality can and should go hand-in-hand."

Each designated airport will share in the congressional appropriated expansion to hire 200 additional CBP officers and to improve the process of clearing and welcoming travelers to the United States.  The recommendations for the Florida airports were based on more than two years of work between CBP and airport authorities. 

The airports were selected based on being the locations with the largest number of foreign visitors arriving annually.  According to VISIT FLORIDA research, international travelers to Florida have increased by nearly 2 percent since 2005. 

"As we roll out the welcome mat for international visitors with more efficient passport screening and hospitable signage in multiple languages at our airports, we anticipate positive feedback encouraging more foreign travelers to visit the Sunshine State," said Nicki Grossman, vice-chairman of the Florida Commission on Tourism and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Model Ports program calls for the CBP to aggressively implement the program by

1.       Incorporating a welcome video developed by Walt Disney Company to welcome visitors to the U.S.

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