WASHINGTON, D.C.
The excruciatingly long wait times suffered by international travelers arriving by air into the U.S. are placing an unnecessary damper on the travel industry and the economy in general, and Congress and President Obama need to enact some key policy changes to fix it, according to a report issued by the U.S. Travel Association.
“If you look at the numbers, they’re big and they’re important. In 2012 we welcomed 66 million international visitors, but unfortunately, in many of our gateway airports, during peak times of travel those visitors would wait three to four hours to get through customs and border protection,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We’ve found that the long process and the long wait times have travelers telling their friends that they’re going to avoid the U.S., which could cost us 100 million travelers over five years. That’s $95 billion dollars and 518,000 jobs.”
The numbers make it a “no-brainer,” according Dow, who added that if reforms to the process were made to ensure primary inspection times did not exceed 30 minutes, the resulting influx of international visitors would generate approximately $3.5 billion in economic impact and 24,000 jobs.
Spearheading an effort to ease the international entry process, U.S. Travel issued a “Gateway to Jobs & Growth: Creating a Better Traveler Entry Process” report, which states that some 2.7 million international travelers, representing about 9 percent of potential trips, avoid visiting the U.S. annually because of the entry wait times. U.S. Travel statistics show that each overseas traveler spends an average of $4,500 per trip, so this missed opportunity translates into some $11.8 billion lost annually, according to the report.
In fact, the report states, the time standing in long lines instead of exiting the airport and contributing to the economy by spending travel dollars results in travel-related businesses losing at least $416 million each year, which could support some 3,700 jobs.
Coinciding with the report, over 70 travel leaders have sent an open letter to Congress urging improvements to the process, asking them to review the recommendations and identify the legislative vehicles that are necessary for reform.
Click here to continue reading Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson's full coverage of the report.
