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IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR

IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR. President’s Initiatives & Brand USA, Visa Reforms & Waiver Program, Global Entry Program. Stephen Perry President & CEO New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR

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  1. IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR President’s Initiatives & Brand USA, Visa Reforms & Waiver Program, Global Entry Program

  2. Stephen PerryPresident & CEONew Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau • The White House has begun to realize the travel and tourism industry is a major commodity to our economy and have pushed many efforts to reform the industry • Through reducing barriers to international travel by formulating a National Travel & Tourism Strategy, improving visa wait times and waiver programs, and expanding the Global Entry Program, internationl group and leisure travel will become an even bigger asset to our country • Attract 100 million visitors by end of 2021, spending an estimate of $250 billion annually

  3. National Travel & Tourism Strategy

  4. Developing the National Travel & Tourism Strategy

  5. Established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010 to spearhead the nation's first global marketing effort to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures. • Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA.    • Brand USA works in close partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel. Through its call-to-action—www.DiscoverAmerica.com—Brand USA inspires travelers to explore the United States of America's boundless possibilities.

  6. Visa Reforms The U.S. Visa Process EFFECTS • Since 2000, long-haul arrivals to the U.S. have increased by less than two percent, from nearly 26 million to 26.4 million in 2010, despite a worldwide increase of 60 million long-haul travelers over the same decade. • Between 2000 and 2010, the United States' share of global long-haul travel fell from 17 percent to just 12.4 percent.

  7. Visa Process is Problematic

  8. Visa Process ImprovementsTotal Visas Issued 42%

  9. Visa Process Improvements • Since June 2011, visa wait times have decreased 34% in Brazil from 93 days to 32 days by December 2011. Visa wait times in China have decreased 16% from 48 days to 8 days. • Throughout 2011, USTA pushed policymakers to consider opportunities to expand the visa waiver program to include Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Poland. Currently, the visa waiver program allows for 90-day visa-free travel for 36 countries. • In January 2012, the State Department announced a pilot program waiving visa interview requirements fro the following low-risk applicants: • Individuals who are reapplying for a visa that has expired within the last 48 months • In Brazil only, children under the age of 15 and adults over the age of 66

  10. 2012 Visa Process Improvements • 50 new consular officers being assigned to China and Brazil • A new embassy consular facility will be opened in Beijing to increase visa interview capacity in Beijing by 50% • some consular posts in China and Brazil are staying open for 12 hours per day to process visa applicants • Visa interview wait times at all 5 posts in China are less than 6 days • Wait times at one consular office in Brazil is 10 days but wait times in others are still too high

  11. JOLT Act

  12. 2012 Visa Reform Goals • Increase non-immigrant visa processing capacity in China and Brazil by 40% • Ensuring 80% of non-immigrant visa applicants are interviewed within three weeks of receipt of application • Increasing efforts to expand the Visa Waiver Program • Expanding participation in the Global Entry Program

  13. Visa Waiver Program2012 Initiatives

  14. Global Entry Program • Allows enrollees to move through inspection process in less than one minute by using an automated kiosk for entry • More than 246,000 members and 131 Global Entry kiosks at 20 airports • White House will expand Global Entry to four additional airports- Minneapolis, Charlotte, Denver, and Phoenix • Global Entry Program and expedited clearance available in airports that service approximately 97% of all international visitors

  15. Questions or Comments?

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