The U.S. travel industry is once again calling on the federal government to fix the nation’s international entry process, decrying the economic harm the industry says is caused by long lines of visitors waiting to get into the U.S.
In a report released Wednesday, the U.S. Travel Association argued that long waits at U.S. customs entry points could cost the nation $95 billion in lost spending over the next five years. Orlando is one of about a dozen “gateway cities” that would be most affected, the report said.
The industry has argued that international visitors are missing connecting flights or relaying negative experiences to friends and family, hurting the U.S. brand abroad and deterring future travelers.
U.S. Travel said that peak wait times reached longer than four hours at?Miami International Airport?in April 2013 and at New York’s?John F. Kennedy Airport?in December 2012. They exceeded three hours at ChicagoO’Hare?last November and at?Los Angeles International Airport?this past March.
The trade group is lobbying for 20 policy adjustments, including hiring 3,500 more customs and border patrol officers. That move would cost the federal government an estimated $400 million, according to Roger Dow, U.S. Travel’s president and chief executive officer.
“It’s all about creating a better travel entry process which adds jobs and adds to our economy,” Dow said.
The industry would also like to see technology deployed, and cited gains made at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. International carriers there contributed toward the installation of 32 automated kiosks, a project that cost $2 million. The Automated Passport Control system can process U.S. passport holders more quickly, and cut peak wait times by 30 percent, said Rosemarie Andolino, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation.
The ultimate goal, travel officials say, is to process each visitor within 30 minutes. U.S. Travel’s Dow described improving the entry process as the “third leg” of a stool. The first two legs ? reducing wait times for international travelers who are applying for visas and instituting a national U.S. travel advertising initiative ? have already seen great progress, he said.