The association said the US State Department’s failure to prioritise visitor visas could prevent an estimated 6.6 million potential visitors travelling to the US next year, which – it said – would come at a loss of US $11.6 billion in projected spending.
“Outrageous wait times send a message to travellers that the United States is closed for business," said Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the association. "Unacceptable visa delays are harming the American workforce, and it is long past time for the Biden administration to solve the problem."
The association said the issue was now "severely hindering the US economic recovery" from the Covid pandemic. According to the association, wait times for visitor visa interviews from the US’s top source markets now exceed 400 days for the first time.
"[It is] an immense deterrent that is undercutting America’s global competitiveness – sending millions of potential visitors and billions in traveller spending to other nations," the association warned.
According to the US Department of Commerce’s latest National Travel and Tourism Strategy, inbound travel is highlighted as an economic priority, with the strategy setting a goal of welcoming 90 million international visitors by 2027.
"The state department’s lack of urgency on this issue is in direct conflict with the commerce department’s objectives," said the association.
Freeman said the "excessive" delays "essentially amounted to a travel ban". "No one is going to wait one to two years to interview with a US government official to gain permission to visit the United States,” said Freeman. "Our new research shows millions of potential visitors will simply choose other destinations – destinations that effectively compete for their business.”
‘Recession looming’
The association said spending losses from the US’s top three markets alone could run to more than $5 billion next year. Citing a new Morning Consult survey, the association said that while there was still strong interest in visiting the US, the majority of those polled said they would likely travel to another country if visa interview wait times exceeded a year.
“With a recession looming, the United States simply cannot afford to turn away billions of dollars in visitor spending,” added Freeman. “The Obama administration effectively addressed a similar problem and we call on the Biden administration to do the same.”
