Business Leaders to Congress: Expand Visa Waiver Program

A coalition of travel, hotel, retail, restaurant, professional and business leaders has launched a new campaign to increase international travel to the United States.

Operating as the “Discover America Partnership” (DAP), the coalition’s No. 1 priority is securing passage of the Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act, a bipartisan bill that would increase visitation to the United States by reforming the visa application process and expanding the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) that enables international travelers from approved countries to enter the U.S. without a visa.

“The Visa Waiver Program is an essential policy that will greatly benefit a wide range of industries and businesses,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which chairs DAP, said in a statement. “Travel to the U.S. is our country’s number one services export, contributing nearly $181 billion to the economy and supporting more than 1.2 million American jobs. But, the U.S. has consistently fallen short in capturing our global market share of worldwide travelers. We’ll continue to lose ground if we do not take advantage of an expanded Visa Waiver Program and push for policies that maximize the benefits of welcoming more visitors to our country. Passage of the JOLT Act moves us in the right direction. It will help enhance the U.S.’s brand internationally and enable us to advance trade, create jobs and compete globally.”

To persuade action on the JOLT Act in Congress, DAP has launched the “Golden Goal Challenge.” Inspired by the World Cup, the challenge is a series of infographics — like this one about Brazil — that illustrate the economic benefits of travel.

“Similar to a sudden death shootout, known as the ‘golden goal’ in soccer, countries across the globe are competing to win international travelers, who support local economies and create thousands of jobs,” DAP explained. “To win the ‘golden goal,’ the U.S. must maximize its opportunity to capture worldwide travelers by expanding the Visa Waiver Program.”

Along with the Golden Goal Challenge, the campaign also includes advertising on public affairs news websites targeting members of Congress and their staffs — including a video promoting the advantages of international visitation.

“Expanding the Visa Waiver Program would address key barriers that deter international business and leisure travelers to the U.S. while responsibly adding nearly $10 billion to our economy each year,” said Bruce Josten, executive vice president of government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — a DAP member. “Beyond the obvious benefits to the tourism market, these reforms are also critical for allowing business travelers to visit the U.S. to buy products or participate in conferences, training and trade shows, while strengthening America’s role as the center of innovation and global commerce.”

If passed, it’s estimated that the JOLT Act — by extending the VWP to countries such as Brazil, Poland, Israel and Croatia — would create up to 1.4 million jobs and produce $511 billion in economic output by 2020.

Concluded Steve Caldeira, president and CEO of DAP member the International Franchise Association, “The VWP is a common-sense policy that should be passed immediately. The U.S. is losing ground quickly in the scope of international travel due to our stringent restrictions to friendly countries. By expanding the VWP, we can ensure that more visitors will come to the U.S. for both leisure and business purposes, thus boosting our economy and strengthening international relations.”