Visa Waiver Program Expanded in USA

The recent decision to expand the visa waiver programme in the US is a major step forward for American travel and tourism, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

“President Obama should be congratulated for signing today’s Executive Order and announcing a suite of initiatives to increase travel and tourism significantly in the United States. It is a major step forward for the world’s biggest travel and tourism economy,” said WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill.

In total, the travel and tourism industry contributes US$1.3 trillion to the gross domestic product of the US and is responsible for sustaining jobs for almost 15 million people. In total, this represents 9% of the country’s economy.

This indicates that the recent announcement should play a major part in driving growth of the US economy at a critical time. Figures from the travel industry and Bureau of Economic Analysis show that long-haul travellers spend on average US$4,000 on each visit. It is no surprise, therefore, that the US administration is taking much-needed steps to expand the visa waiver programme, reduce the time taken to wait for an interview and increase the capacity to process visas in China and Brazil in 40% during this year.

“The announcement is the result of a long dialogue between the industry and the administration, which included the participation of secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, at the WTTC’s Global Summit in Las Vegas in 2011,” explained Scowsill. “It shows that president Obama really gets it – he understands the economic and social value of travel and tourism. The president should be congratulated for taking a bold and important step.

“I would urge other countries to look at the steps they can take to expand their own travel and tourism industries. Access to countries remains probably the biggest single challenge affecting the industry. For this reason, it will form a major part of the discussions at WTTC’s first Regional Summit to be held in Riviera Maya, Mexico from 16-18 May 2012 and hosted by president Felipe Calderon.”