US travel industry ‘elated’ over White House tourism plan
As expected, US President Barack Obama’s proposals to spur job creation through increased international visitors announced last week drew consistent praise from industry leaders.
"We are elated with this news from Washington, D.C.," Gurm’s GVB General Manager Joann Camacho said.
"This is the first time our country has had a national strategy and set goals for the amount of visitors we want to welcome to our country," said Roger Dow, president and CEO for the US Travel Association.
"Every year, tens of millions of tourists from all over the world come and visit America. And the more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work," said President Obama in the White House press release.
Emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India are especially targeted in the latest white House plan.
According to the UN World Travel Organization (UNWTO), China is the fastest growing travel market in the world, and is estimated to reach 100 million international travelers by 2020. In December 2007, the US and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate Chinese group leisure travel from China to the United States.
Among the White House proposals:
—Under an executive order from Obama, the non-immigrant visa processing capacity in China will be increased by 40 percent this year and 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applicants will be interviewed within three weeks of the receipt of application.
—In select circumstances, qualified foreign visitors who were interviewed and thoroughly screened in conjunction with a prior visa application may be able to renew their visas without undergoing another interview, according to the new pilot program of the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security.
—The pilot program will also streamline visa processing for certain low-risk applicants, such as individuals renewing expired visas, or some categories of younger or older first-time applicants.
The complicated and time-consuming visa application to the US has long been a huge headache for most Chinese tourists, according to tourist officials.Since the bilateral trade ties are growing so fast, the visa issue is regarded as the top concern among Chinese business travelers.
By David Wilkening
David
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