A recent speech by President Obama, delivered at Walt Disney World in Orlando, gave the travel industry a huge shot in the arm, according to Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, a leading industry lobbying organization.
The White House’s plans include issuing an executive order that will charge several government agencies with taking part in new initiatives to boost travel into the United States.
These include a new pilot program and rule change for visa processing in China and Brazil, a final rule to expand and make the Global Entry program permanent, the appointment of new members to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, and the nomination of Taiwan to the Visa Waiver Program.
Obama also directed the Department of Commerce to create a task force to develop a “national travel and tourism strategy.”
In its letter to the industry following the speech, U.S. Travel promised to launch a national campaign to “engage the industry and seek support for our issues from candidates during this political season.”