Washington -- A coalition of travel industry groups yesterday unveiled a plan to smooth entry procedures for visitors to the United States as a way to boost inbound travel.
The Blueprint to Discover America calls for the federal government to process visa applications within 30 days, expand the number of countries eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, reduce customs and immigration wait times at ports of entry to 30 minutes or less, and create a public-private organization to reverse the generally negative international perception of travel to the United States.
The plan is backed by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Travel Business Roundtable, among others, through Discover America Partnership, which was formed last year to improve inbound travel.
"This isn't a sweeping overhaul of our travel policies," TIA chairman Jay Rasulo told more than 500 people yesterday during the association's annual State of the Travel Industry luncheon. "It is, rather, a set of common sense solutions to adapt to the way that people are traveling today. It's using new technology and proven processes to make travel easier and more secure at the same time."
Rasulo, who is also chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said of the plan, "Its fulfillment is the single most important action we can undertake as an industry."
Overseas travel to the United States is down 17 percent since 2001, with business travel alone down 10 percent from 2004 to 2005, according to TIA.
Rasulo said the loss of international visitors due to cumbersome entry requirements is costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars annually. He added that, by comparison, implementing the plan would cost about $300 million a year.
"The return is so good that we can't afford not to make the investment," said Rasulo.
The 56-page plan is available at www.poweroftravel.org.
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