The US Travel Association – an advocacy association for all the components of the travel industry – has accused the Biden administration of losing the industry a fortune and effectively sending a message that the US is closed for business.
According to analysis by economists, released on October 7 by the association, an estimated 6,6 million potential visitors are being kept away from the US next year because of the Department of State’s low prioritisation of visitor visa processing.
Waiting times for visitor visa interviews are now up to more than 400 days for first-time applicants.
The association said this would translate into an estimated loss of $11,6 billion (R211,4bn) in projected spending.
US Travel Association President and CEO, Geoff Freeman, said: “Outrageous wait times send a message to travellers that the United States is closed for business. Unacceptable visa delays are harming the American workforce and it is long past time for the Biden administration to solve the problem.”
He said the visa delays were essentially a travel ban, as no one would wait one to two years for an interview with a US government official to gain permission to visit the US.
The association has called on the State Department to make first-time visitor visa processing an economic priority, sharing policy recommendations to resolve the problem.
