WASHINGTON — Senators voted yesterday to charge international travelers a $10 fee to help pay for a new nonprofit corporation that would promote tourism in the United States.

The legislation, which passed 79-19, was backed by the travel industry. Lawmakers said many international governments aggressively help tourism in their countries by subsidizing promotional programs, but the U.S. leaves that work to the private sector and to state and local governments.

Lawmakers from tourism-dependent states such as Florida and Nevada led the effort to pass the bill, along with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., the bill's chief sponsor.

"This bill will help create tourism-type jobs, but it won't just do it for Nevada," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. "When people come to our country to visit, they may come to one state primarily, but they usually stop in several other states along the way."

Hawai'i Sens. Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka voted in favor of the bill.

Senators, citing data from industry sources, said ramped-up marketing efforts would lead to an additional 1.6 million international travelers coming to the U.S. annually; they said those travelers spend about $4,500 per visit.

About 58 million international travelers visited the U.S. last year. Industry officials say many potential visitors are looking elsewhere because of enhanced border security and negative coverage from foreign media outlets.

Much of the money for the promotional efforts will come from fees paid by the travel industry. The rest would come from the $10 fee on international visitors.

The United States began requiring people who don't need visas to enter the country to register online at least 72 hours before travel and renew their registration every two years. If the new proposal becomes law, it would require people to pay the $10 fee when they register.

The European Union has said that some U.S. travelers to Europe could face retaliatory fees.