U.S. travel industry officials reported last month that the nation's complicated visa system is a hurdle in tourism recovery and must undergo reform if the United States expects to attract burgeoning tourism numbers from countries like China, India and Brazil, according to Reuters.
The U.S. Travel Association reports that although travel is the largest U.S. industry export sector, America has lost ground as a destination to other parts of the world that are allow easier access, such as Western Europe. Proposed changes to the visa system could create over a million U. S. jobs and bring in $859 billion to by 2020.
"The challenge we have is the unnecessary, burdensome U.S. visa system," said USTA president Roger Dow. "It's really self-imposed barriers that we put on ourselves as a country that have caused us to lose international travel and that have stymied international growth."
Travellers have criticized the United States for long waits to get a visa and for a lack of access in some countries to U.S. consular offices. Some potential tourists have to travel across their country just for an interview for a visa.
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