Klobuchar and Travel Industry Unveil Recommendations to Boost Tourism

Press Release

At the National Press Club, Klobuchar and travel groups say cutting red tape would help businesses and attract new visitors to the United States

Today at the National Press Club, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and the travel industry unveiled recommendations to boost tourism in the United States in the U.S. Travel Association's report entitled "Ready for Takeoff." The report outlined simple reforms that could help attract new visitors to the United States and help businesses. As chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. tourism industry, Klobuchar was leader in helping sign into law the Travel Promotion Act last year which is estimated to add approximately $4 billion to the U.S. economy each year.

"Tourism is a powerful engine for job creation both in Minnesota and nationally," said Klobuchar. "By cutting red tape we can make traveling to the United States easier without compromising important national security safeguards. And by attracting new visitors from abroad, we can stimulate economic growth and help our businesses, with no cost to taxpayers."

"As a nation, we're putting up a 'keep out' sign," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. "The United States imposes unnecessary barriers on international visitors, and that inhibits our economic growth. If we institute a smarter visa policy, we can create 1.3 million U.S. jobs. We look forward to working with our partners in Congress, especially a leader on this issue like Senator Klobuchar."

In her remarks Klobuchar noted the importance of tourism to Minnesota's economy. Tourism is the fifth largest industry in Minnesota, generating $11 billion in sales and providing nearly 11 percent of the state's total private sector employment. Klobuchar also emphasized that boosting travel to the United States helps businesses since each traveler spends over $4000 on average.

Increasing foreign travel to the United States can also help reduce the deficit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the Travel Promotion Act alone will help reduce the budget deficit by $425 million over the next 10 years.

Klobuchar said the reforms outlined in the U.S. Travel Association report are important to the national economy and is vital to the United States attracting new innovative businesses and industries. The report focused on targeting new markets like Brazil, China, and India and suggested 4 key reforms to cut red tape while maintaining important national security safeguards:

* Align consular affairs with market demands
o Would include the U.S. travel export promotion into the mission of the State Department's Bureau of Consular affairs and direct the State Department to use new technology to reduce visa processing times.

* Reduce visa interview wait times to 10 days or less
o This would match what other advanced nations have done to attract new international travelers and businesses.

* Improve planning
o Put a stop to arbitrary limits on visa interview dates and assess how to reduce applicant backlogs and increase transparency by making visa interview wait times online for each consulate.

* Preserve and expand the Visa Waiver Program
o Direct the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to develop road map for countries like Brazil to be admitted into the Visa Waiver Program.

The U.S. Travel Association has estimated that these reforms have the potential to create 1.3 million jobs and generate an additional 859 billion in economic output by 2020.

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