‘Outrageous’ visa waits ‘severely hindering US economy recovery’

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.”