by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:30 AM ET, Mon April 3, 2023
The U.S. Travel Association announced plans to address the
current challenges and deterrents to help America remain competitive as an international
destination in a growing world tourism market.
As more and more countries facilitate international travel
and gain larger shares of global travel, the organization found that while interest
in traveling to the U.S. has improved, visa wait times remain high, sometimes
taking as long as a year to complete.
Data from the recent State of International Traveler survey
found that 49 percent of international tourists originating in non-Visa Waiver
Program countries cited visa issues as a barrier to visiting the U.S., with wait
times, a cumbersome process and visa fees being the biggest challenges.
Another 78 percent of travelers in non-visa waiver countries
cited the “ease of obtaining a visa” as important and 40 percent cited it as a
very important factor.
“To remain competitive, we must have bold and targeted plans
to attract an increasingly sophisticated global traveler, and to provide a
truly seamless travel experience, on par with other countries competing for the
same global travelers,” U.S. Travel Economist Aaron Szyf said.
While the U.S. government set a goal to welcome 90 million
visitors by 2027, U.S. Travel said, “current restrictions may make it difficult
to reach that goal.” Data showed that two-thirds of international tourists had
a better perception of the U.S. after they visited, highlighting the importance
of decreasing visa wait times.
Unfortunately, the number of international travelers who
chose the U.S. as their top destination to visit in the next 12 months dropped to
30 percent, a massive decline from the record-high 38 percent in
2015.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe
to the daily TravelPulse
newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
