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WASHINGTON,
DC – The U.S.
Travel Association today applauded the competitiveness initiative
discussed by
President Obama during his State of the Union Address and his specific
focus on
increasing exports. To achieve the President's goals, the travel
industry
strongly urges the Administration and Congress to rapidly develop visa
and
entry policies that will attract more international visitors to
America,
increase our positive trade balance and create hundreds of thousands of
American jobs.
 "We are eager to work with our elected
leaders to capitalize on the more
than $4,000 spent by the average overseas visitor each time they come
to the
United States," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel
Association. "Allowing extraordinary visa wait times and
dissatisfaction with
our entry process to detour foreign visitors is akin to shredding a
winning
multi-million dollar lottery ticket. Let's get to work on creating a
travel
process that is the envy of the world and provides our fellow Americans
with
the jobs they desperately need."
An increase in overseas travel to the United States by an average of 15
percent
each year between now and 2015 to meet the President's goal of doubling
exports
would add $105 billion and 765,000 jobs to the U.S. economy, according
to a
U.S. Travel analysis.
The United States has welcomed fewer overseas visitors in every year
following
the September 11, 2001 attacks than it did in 2000. Over that same
period,
long-haul travel around the world has grown by 60 million travelers.
The President's National Export Initiative, which seeks to double
exports over
the next five years, should include increased travel as a core
component of
achieving the President's goals. Lawrence Summers, former director of
President
Obama's National Economic Council, said at a President's Export Council
meeting: "My guess is the single largest lacuna on a 25-year basis in
the
U.S. effort around competitiveness is actually in the tourism area. I
think we
just lag way behind."
Among the opportunities to help facilitate increased travel to the
United
States are: using secure videoconferencing to conduct visa interviews
of
prospective travelers in countries such as Brazil, China and India;
expansion
of the Visa Waiver Program; and expansion of the trusted traveler
program known
as Global Entry.
Earlier this year U.S. Travel released a study conducted by Oxford
Economics
that showed the U.S. "lost" more than $500 billion in travel spending
from overseas visitors to America during the last decade alone by
simply not
keeping pace with the boom in international travel around the globe.
The U.S. Travel Association is the national,
non-profit organization representing all components of the $704 billion
travel
industry. U.S. Travel's mission is to increase travel to and within the
United
States. For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.
Follow us on Twitter @ustravelpr. |
