The Obama administration believes it can create 1 million new jobs by promoting international tourism, boosting nonimmigrant visa processing capacity and expanding the Visa Waiver Program.
The White House initiative is aimed at drawing more tourists from China and Brazil. The government plans to increase visa processing capacity in those fast-growing countries by 40% this year.
The Visa Waiver Program allows participating nationals to travel to the United States for stays of 90 days or less without a visa. President Obama signed an executive order directing the Homeland Security and State departments to make sure that tourists who do need visas get them quickly. He wants 80% of all visa applicants to be interviewed within 21 days.
The travel and tourism industry represents 2.7% of the gross domestic product and sustains 7.5 million U.S. jobs, according to the White House. In 2010, 60 million international visitors came here. But the share of spending by international tourists has fallen from 17% to 11% during the last decade, largely because of restrictions put in place because of the 9/11 attacks.
The administration plans to appoint a group of corporate chief executives to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. The Walt Disney Company currently draws about 25% of its visitors from outside the country, and company officials say that figure has ample room to grow.
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