The Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act has been languishing in Congress for several years. In an effort to finally get it passed, the U.S. Travel Association last week launched a video campaign on Capitol Hill, distributing video testimonials from travel leaders advocating for the bill and urging its swift passage.
Originally introduced in 2012 by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the JOLT Act is a bi-partisan effort to create jobs by expanding the nation's Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to include more countries. Although it has failed to come for a vote in the last two Congresses, its current sponsors -- U.S. Reps. Joe Heck (R-NV) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) -- say it could attract as many as 98 million more visitors to the United States, create a million new American jobs, and generate as much as $859 billion in revenue by 2020 by making it easier for travelers from approved countries to visit the Untied States.
"The VWP helps keep our country secure while facilitating international travel that adds billions in economic output and supports nearly one million jobs," said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow. "Expanding and strengthening the VWP is critical to communities across the country that rely on international travel to support the local economy, contribute to the tax base, and create new jobs."
The video testimonials distributed last week included messages from travel leaders in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina.
"In each video," U.S. Travel explained, "travel leaders discuss how their destination relies on international travelers to support the local economy and why expansion of the effective and reliable VWP is directly related to continued economic growth and national security. The videos show huge local support for expanding the VWP to countries that meet its stringent security requirements."
The VWP provides reciprocal 90-day, visa-free travel for pre-qualified citizens of the participating countries. In 2014, more than 20.3 million travelers -- 60 percent of all international visitors to the United States -- arrived through the VWP, generating $190 billion in economic output for the U.S. economy. For more information, visit vwp.ustravel.org.
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