The U.S. travel industry has seen a slow recovery since the coronavirus pandemic, with international arrivals expected to reach only 84% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. This is in stark contrast to global competitors such as France and Spain, which outperformed significantly in 2019. Level of visitor numbers for the same year. One of the main causes is significant delays in visa processing at U.S. embassies around the world.
There are currently expectations for a major turnaround in the U.S. travel and tourism sector. At a press conference on October 29, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said they expected inbound visits to the United States to recover faster, citing shorter wait times for coveted visa appointments and processing. He said that Help the United States take advantage of major sporting events to be held in the United States over the next decade.
Blinken said that in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, the U.S. State Department issued a record 11.5 million visas, 8.5 million of which were tourist visas. The median wait time for first-time visitors to receive a visa interview appointment at a U.S. consulate has decreased from more than 400 days to 60 days.
Blinken added that the State Department plans to increase visa reservations by 1 million people in 2025. These reduced wait times will boost travel to the U.S., with visitor numbers expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of 79.4 million next year. According to the Department of Commerce. By 2026, the country is on track to welcome 90 million tourists, although the government did not expect to reach this number until 2027.
The two secretaries said their respective offices will work to remove obstacles that are slowing the recovery of U.S. inbound tourism, which reached $155 billion in direct spending from international travelers in 2023, according to the U.S. Travel Association. He said they are working closely together.
“More people are traveling to the United States than ever before, and more Americans than ever before are traveling around the world,” Blinken said.
A rebound in U.S. inbound tourism will come ahead of what Raimondo and Blinken described as a “huge decade” for U.S. sporting events. These include the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Canada and Mexico and is expected to draw as many as 6 million tourists to 11 U.S. cities, including New York, Miami, Boston and Dallas, according to the U.S. Travel Association. is expected. The United States is also scheduled to host the Rugby World Cup in 2031, becoming the first country in North America to do so.
Mr Raimondo said these games represented “huge economic activity” and highlighted the role games play in supporting employment. In 2023, total travel spending of $1.3 trillion (of which 12% will come from international arrivals) will support more than 15 million jobs in the United States and 2.5% of gross domestic product, or $2.3 trillion in travel spending. It brought an economic impact of US$. “What we are doing today is making it easier to travel to this country, and this will be a huge blow to the travel and tourism industry.”
“We applaud the Biden administration for taking important steps to welcome international visitors,” said Jeff Freeman, CEO of US Travel, who has long advocated streamlining the visa process. said. “By prioritizing reducing visa wait times, the United States will be able to become more globally competitive for decades to come.”
Just as important to Americans, if not contributing as much to the domestic travel economy, wait times for U.S. passport processing have increased from 4 to 6 weeks, compared to 6 to 8 weeks in December 2023. It was shortened to a week. In fiscal year 2024, a record 24.5 million U.S. passports were issued. The State Department also introduced online passport renewal in September, which further speeds up processing times, Blinken said. “We are modernizing,” he continued. “More than 1 million Americans already use online passport renewal.”
It also comes at a perfect time for an expected increase in inbound visitors from the U.S., as U.S. travelers are cutting back on spending and domestic travel demand is slowing.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.
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