US Travel Association Outlines How to Improve International Tourism

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.