The president issued an executive order speeding visitor visas for Brazil and China and took additional steps that include promoting national parks and adding business executives to a tourism advisory board.
The objective is to significantly increase travel and tourism in the United States. The White House projected that more than 1 million jobs could be created over the next decade if the U.S. increases its share of the international travel market.
Nationally, the White House reports that the travel and tourism industry represent 2.7 percent of gross domestic product and 7.5 million jobs in 2010. And the white house also said that the U.S. share of spending by international travelers decreased from 17 percent to 11 percent between 2000 and 2010, due to increased competition, global economy and due to security measures imposed after Sept. 11, 2001.
Obama's directive is set to change all of this largely by increasing the visitor visa processing capacity by 40 percent in Brazil and China by the end of 2012. Opening the Brazilian tourist market could have the most positive effect on Florida. Specifically, the administration intends to deploy 100 more consuls to Brazil and China to reduce visa-processing times — which now can take weeks — and it plans to expand a program that allows "low-risk" foreign visitors to zip through airport checkpoints.
Currently, Brazilians sometimes wait more than three months to get the face-to-face interview with U.S. officials required to get a non-resident visa. The Obama initiative calls for dropping that waiting period to 21 days in most cases. And they can have those interviews in only four cities, which often requires an expensive trip in itself thereby causing many Brazilians simply ignore the U.S. and travel elsewhere. The slashing of the time period for visa interviews could have an “immediate and significant” impact on Florida’s economy, where Brazilians spent more than $1.5 billion in 2010 alone, said local tourism officials.
The change comes in time to impact the U.S. summer months, a popular travel time for Brazilians. Brazilians are affluent compared to other Latin American counter parts. . It’s a country of 200 million people, and 40 million of them are affluent and can afford to travel. Miami and New York are their top two destinations Currently 36 countries are on the U.S. visa waiver list. They include South Korea and Slovenia but none in Latin America. The Obama team also expects to soon add Taiwan to the list of countries allowed to have citizens visit the U.S. without a visa.
The U.S. Travel Association reports that for every 35 international visitors to the U.S., one American job is generated. According to industry and federal figures, foreign travelers spent at least $139 billion on travel and tourism-related goods last year, with Chinese and Brazilian tourists averaging more than $5,000 per trip.
