What is the White House Millennium Program?

Led by the First Lady, the White House Millennium Program is a multi-year initiative to mark the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the new millennium. It celebrates the American experience by recognizing and initiating projects that engage every sector of society in conveying our rich heritage to future generations. The White House Millennium Program highlights projects that recognize the creativity and inventiveness of the American people.

What is American Pathways 2000?

As part of the White House Millennium Program, American Pathways 2000 shares with the world "American Culturalism": A celebration of the richly diverse heritage that is inherent in the American Experience.

American Pathways 2000 is a public-private project that recognizes cultural/heritage tour itineraries by designating them American Pathways 2000 itineraries. The project is co-sponsored by the Office of Tourism Industries in the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Tour Association (NTA) and the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB), as founding partners, with the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), the American Bus Association (ABA), and the Receptive Services Association (RSA). This program offers genuine opportunities for the travel industry to showcase, through public-private partnerships, our country's extraordinary heritage to a worldwide audience.

What are the goals of American Pathways 2000?

The goal is to encourage the development and sales of American cultural/heritage tourism products and assist in the export of those products. These efforts will support the national effort to "ensure an American travel experience that is second to none" as set forth at the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism.

What are the benefits of becoming an American Pathways 2000 designated itinerary?

Through this program, international and domestic visitors will be encouraged to discover America by experiencing the richness of its cultures as we celebrate the new millennium. American Pathways 2000 brings together agencies in the Executive Branch, private industry, U.S. destinations and heritage and cultural organizations in a coordinated program designed to generate sales for American cultural/heritage tours in the U.S. domestic market and targeted markets internationally.

The formal designation of American Pathways 2000 itineraries, as part of the White House Millennium Program, confers high honor not only on that itinerary and its related tour but also on the communities and heritage/cultural organizations featured in these itineraries.

American Pathways 2000 designated itineraries and their sponsoring tour/receptive operator will be featured by the office of Tourism Industries on its website and in press releases, direct mail, and speeches/presentations executed by the office. Additionally, all sponsors of designated itineraries will have the option of displaying the White House Millennium logo on their materials promoting that itinerary and its related tour.

Who is eligible to apply?

The applicant shall be any company and/or legal entity that actively engages in the business of operating, conducting or arranging packaged travel in the United States. Applicants must provide proof of membership in good standing with any of the following organizations: National Tour Association (NTA), United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), American Bus Association (ABA), the Receptive Services Association (RSA), or the International Travel Services Association (ITSA).

In the absence of membership in these organizations, applicants should comply with all of the following:

• (1) Be in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and be duly qualified and licensed to do business in United States (This shall be a self-certification.);
• (2) Be actively engaged in the business of developing, packaging, promoting, selling and operating packaged travel in North America for at least three years immediately prior to the date of application (Actively engaged is defined as a minimum of 24 tour departures or at least 50 touring days during each of the two immediately preceding twelve-month periods. Each of these tours must contain at least two tour elements that are not owned, controlled or managed by the applicant.);
• (3) Employ, in a senior management position, at a minimum of 30+ hours/week, an individual who has been actively engaged in the business of developing, packaging, promoting, selling and operating packaged travel for at least three years immediately prior to the date of application;
• (4) Provide satisfactory evidence of maintenance of comprehensive general public liability coverage and professional liability, errors and omissions insurance coverage with minimum limits of $1,000,000 for each occurrence with reputable insurance underwriting companies (A comparable, proven self-insurance program may be considered for meeting the requirement upon submission of an actual independent audit.) Verification, by letter, of this coverage from the servicing insurance company will be acceptable;
• (5) Provide true and correct and certified copies of all of the following organizational documents of the company or business. Examples of organizational documents include, without limitation:
  • a) in the case of a sole proprietorship, any certificate or statement of assumed name;
  • b) in the case of general partnership, the partnership agreement, any certificate or statement of assumed name and any operating or management agreement;
  • c) in the case of a limited partnership, the limited partnership agreement, any certificate of limited partnership, any certificate or statement of assumed name and any operating or management agreement;
  • d) in the case of a corporation, the articles of incorporation or charter, by laws, minutes or written consents of corporate action organizing the corporation, stock register indicating the current shareholders, any certificate or statement of assumed name and any operating or management agreement; and
  • e) in the case of a limited liability company or partnership, the articles of organization, operating agreement, minutes or written consents of member action organizing the limited liability company or partnership, any certificate or statement of assumed name and any operating or management agreement;
• (6) Have an office in the United States. A street address must be provided; a post office box will not be acceptable.

What is needed to apply?

To be considered for designation as an American Pathways 2000 itinerary, applications must include the following:

• The name of the tour itinerary and an itinerary description;
• A statement describing how the itinerary is designed around one or more of the four official American Pathways 2000 themes: "From Sea to Shining Sea," "I Have A Dream," "Lady Liberty," and "America's Cultural Mosaic," and how the sites/attractions along the tour will be interpreted for domestic and/or international tour participants (Operators may submit an itinerary that combines one or more of themes.);
• A marketing plan with a certificate of endorsement from at least one destination marketing organization (e.g, convention and visitor bureau, state tourism office) to ensure sales and development goals are met (Ideally tour operators should also have working relationships with expert representatives in the heritage field.);
• A sponsors list, identifying key project partners and their responsibilities (This should be part of the promotion plan.); and
• Applicant verification (See "Who is eligible to apply?").

What types of experiences should the itineraries highlight?

A majority of all sites visited on submitted itineraries must incorporate experiences that pertain to at least one of the following themes.

• "From Sea to Shining Sea"
         (The indigenous peoples of the Americas)

Designated itineraries incorporating this theme should provide experiences which highlight how America's territorial expansion affected the indigenous peoples of the Americas and/or how the culture(s) of these people have influenced American life.

• "I Have a Dream"
         (From slavery to civil rights...America's striving for a true democracy)

Designated itineraries incorporating this theme should provide experiences that highlight the African-American story.

• "Lady Liberty"
         (Immigration and the building of America)

Designated itineraries incorporating this theme should provide experiences that highlight the story of American immigrants.

• "America's Cultural Mosaic"
         (Ethnic influences in American "Pop Culture")

Designated itineraries incorporating this theme should provide experiences that highlight ethnic influences in American "Pop Culture."

What is the designation process?

American Pathways 2000 Challenge Kits will be sent to NTA, ABA, USTOA and RSA members in February. Other qualified applicants should contact the office of Tourism Industries, American Pathways 2000 Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 1860, Washington, DC 20230, Attn: Linda Harbaugh. These kits will outline program objectives, themes, and criteria for designation. Applications for designation are to be sent by April 1, 1999, to Tourism Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 1860, Washington, D.C. 20230, Attn: Linda Harbaugh, where they will be forwarded to members of the American Pathways 2000 Itinerary Review Panel for feedback. Recommendations for designation will be made by an intergovernmental group headed by TI. Final designations will be made by the Department of Commerce in the Spring of 1999.

The Itinerary Review Panel will be comprised of experts in the fields of tourism and heritage/cultural development. They will provide input on 1) the development of criteria for the Challenge, 2) the applications and designation process, and 3) final designation.

Once designations are made, how does the program work?

Once an itinerary is designated, the business entity and partners will need to provide visual aids for publicity purposes and sign an agreement regarding the use of the Millennium logo. Additionally, the designees will need to provide, throughout the use of the logo, information on the sale of tours (volume, not revenue) related to the designated itinerary in order to help measure the impact of the American Pathways 2000 project.

Once designations are made, qualifying itineraries and their sponsoring tour/receptive operator will be featured in the office of Tourism Industries global outreach efforts via:

website
direct mail
press releases
speeches/presentations

A company may submit as many itineraries as they wish, but must submit one itinerary per application.

For further information about American Pathways 2000, please contact:

Ms. Linda Harbaugh, Senior Policy Analyst
Tourism Industries/Trade Development
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 1860
14th Street and Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
(202) 482-2404 (phone)
(202) 482-2887 (fax)
pathways@tinet.ita.doc.gov

All applications must be submitted by April 1, 1999, to be considered for designation.