Travel industry urges Congress to speed up U.S. entry process for travelers

He argued that hiring more people to smooth the entry process would, in turn, make the United States more secure, a key point in the Senate-passed immigration reform bill.

Travel is picking up at a rapid pace with more than 100 million expected to visit the United States each year within the next decade, increasing the need for more resources to help better process passengers and maintain security levels. 

Dow said the United States is “well ahead of that pace.”

Failure to enact meaningful enhancements will do measurable harm to the U.S. economy as it continues its recovery, the report found.

U.S. Travel estimates the total cost to our economy of delaying and deterring visitors is $95 billion over the next five years, enough to support more than 500,000 U.S. jobs.

“The U.S. welcomed 67 million visitors last year, and far too many of these valued customers spent the first hours of their trip waiting in line at U.S. air ports of entry,” Dow said.

The report finds the effects of simply standing in an entry line, rather than spending money in our economy, cost travel-related businesses $416 million each year, which could support 3,700 jobs.

“International travel is a bright spot for the U.S. economy, but long lines and wait times that many experience during entry are deterring millions of potential visitors while our country is working to rebuild its global market share,” Dow said. 

“The issue is not CBP officers themselves, whom even delayed travelers regard as competent and hard-working. The problems lie in policy and resources, which Congress must address.”

More damaging, though, are costs associated with travelers who decide against visiting due to negative perceptions about the entry process.

The report finds that 2.7 million international travelers, or about 9 percent of potential trips, avoid visiting the U.S. every year because of this problem.

With each overseas traveler spending an average of nearly $4,500, that translates to $11.8 billion lost annually directly to travel industry businesses.

“Our path to welcoming 100 million or more international travelers every year is paved with reforms to our visa issuance process, our newly established national tourism promotion program and, now, improvements to the U.S. entry process,” said Jim Abrahamson, CEO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts and national chairman of the U.S. Travel Association.

The report finds that if reforms were in place to guarantee the primary inspection process did not exceed 30 minutes, the resulting surge in visitors would generate approximately $3.5 billion in positive economic impact and create 24,000 jobs.

“We believe that Congress should provide increased funding for CBP staff and initiatives such as Automated Passport Control to improve the re-entry process for U.S. and international travelers,” said Rosemarie S. Andolino, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation and chairman of U.S. Travel’s Gateway Airports Council.

The policy adjustments include:

• Hiring 3,500 additional CBP officers as provided for in the Senate immigration bill (S. 744);

• Implementing enhanced technology to alleviate pressure on CBP officer staffing;

• Reducing peak wait times by 50 percent and processing each traveler within 30 minutes; and

• Enhancing transparency to improve government and private-sector coordination.