The White House said today that significant progress has been made toward reaching — and in some cases exceeding — goals outlined in last January’s executive order to facilitate inbound travel for the benefits it will bring to the U.S. economy.
Deputy directors from two cabinet-level departments — State and Homeland Security — as well as a deputy director of the White House’s National Economic Council reviewed a “progress report” during a call-in press conference.
The President’s executive order had set a goal that 80% of visitor and business visa applicants be interviewed within three weeks of receipt of application. Brazil and China were singled out, with the president setting an additional goal of increasing visa-processing capacity in those two countries by 40% during 2012.
At the time of the order, waits for visas were as long as 140 days in Brazil, State Department Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides said. Following a “herculean effort” by consular affairs staff, working with Homeland Security, that wait is now two days.
The long wait times in China have been reduced to four or less days in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the three cities that process the most applications.
Nides also said that overall, the 80%/three weeks target has been well-exceeded, with 88% of applicants worldwide interviewed within three weeks and an average wait time of only five days.
This was accomplished by “really surging people into those countries,” Nides said.
The goal of a 40% increase in processing capability was reached in June for Brazil, and the U.S. has already processed more than a million visas for citizens of that country, “about a 37% increase over last year,” Nides said.
He said the 40% processing capability goal would be met in China in November, and that the million visa mark has already been reached there, as well.
Nides acknowledged that the overarching goal was to “frankly, have [visitors] spend money in the U.S.,” and create jobs. Danielle Gray, deputy director of the National Economic Council, reinforced the message by saying that annual receipts of $1.4 trillion for travel and tourism sales supported 7.5 million jobs.
“Tourist spending has increased 9% [year over year],” she said. “For the second quarter of 2012, international tourism was responsible for 1.2 million jobs.”
A written “progress report” distributed before the press conference reported that travel and tourism-related spending increased more than $1.1 billion per month during the first seven months of 2012.
Other accomplishments cited in the progress report:
• A pilot program to waive in-person interviews for low-risk visa applicants.
• Additional visa-processing facilities and staffing increases.
• Evaluation of additional countries for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.
• Expansion of trusted-traveler/expedited-screening programs.
• Surveys showing that 90% of travelers now view Customs and Border Protection officers as welcoming and helpful.
• Reduced security-related wait times.
• Expedited baggage pre-clearance in eight Canadian airports.
• Creation of new videos explaining the visa process and welcoming visitors.
• Expanded partnerships and interaction with the travel industry.
Follow Arnie Weissmann on Twitter @awtravelweekly.