WASHINGTON — Increasing tourism from overseas should be a national initiative, especially in a time of booming world travel, state tourism promoters said yesterday.

Citing tourism campaigns by other countries, Rex Johnson, president of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, told a Senate panel it was "imperative that the United States implement its own public-private marketing campaign" to compete for a greater share of the growing travel and tourism market.

"Today, nearly every industrialized country in the world, with the exception of the United States, has a nationally coordinated program designed to promote its destination to international travelers," Johnson said.

But Jamie Estrada, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing at the Commerce Department, said the agency believes the government's appropriate role is "promoting a supportive policy within our own government" for travel and tourism and working with other governments to remove barriers to travel and build bridges to new markets.

Estrada also said several promotional campaigns since 2005 in England and Japan show that marketing the U.S. as a travel destination can be effective.

"We encourage the U.S. travel and tourism industry to consider the results of these programs when it makes its own marketing plans," he said.

Travel and tourism groups that have stricter travel policies have contributed to a 17 percent drop in overseas travel to the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

That drop has resulted in the loss of about $93 billion in economic activity and almost 200,000 jobs nationwide, according to the groups.

Hawai'i has felt the drop, with Honolulu receiving 413,000 fewer international visitors in 2005 than in 2000, according to the Commerce Department.

Johnson said tourism brings about $12 billion in annual visitor spending to Hawai'i, with international travelers contributing about $4 billion of the amount.

The state also spends about $50 million a year to promote tourism, Johnson said. A national plan would allow a greater focus for the state money by creating a "visit USA" brand and a better selling environment, he said.

Chad Prosser, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, said federal help was needed to create a national marketing campaign because the travel industry is primarily made up of small businesses.

"Only government can effectively represent their collective interests on a national or international scale," Prosser said.

Johnson, Prosser and other tourism representatives also said problems with obtaining visas and getting through the entry process once in the United States as well as a lack of tourism promotion contributed to the drop.

A recent survey showed that international travelers believe the United States has the "world's worst" entry process, Johnson said.

Prosser said Congress should make the entry process more welcoming and efficient while closely monitoring how changes are implemented on the front lines.

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said national security is paramount to protect the nation from terrorists.

"But some of the changes had the unintended consequence of deterring legitimate international travelers," he said. "Many in the travel and tourism industry continue to express concerns about the efficiency of the visa application process and the perception that the U.S. entry process is unnecessarily antagonistic."

Reach Dennis Camire at dcamire@gns.gannett.com.