Travel industry lauds visa plan

Travel industry leaders say demand for international travel to the United States could rise as a result of a plan outlined yesterday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to streamline the visa process.

The plan, which "seeks to renew America's welcome" to travelers while maintaining secure borders, promotes the use of state-of-the-art travel documents and technology for smarter screening of passengers. The State Department would make application forms and related information available online. In addition, the department has said it will work on developing public video messages to help foreign travelers during the entry process.

Roger J. Dow, president and chief executive of the Travel Industry Association of America, endorsed the announcement, calling it a "significant step forward."

Travel leaders have long been working with state and homeland security officials to streamline the visa process, which was tightened following 9/11. The resulting regulations sharply increased wait times for some international visitors, prompting criticism of the United States' policies. According to the Travel Industry Association, harsh regulations have prompted further decline of the U.S. international travel market, which has dropped 35 percent since 1992, costing an estimated $268 billion in revenue.

In Hawaii, visa policies implemented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have raised major barriers to U.S. travel from Korea, China and Taiwan, requiring complex and time-consuming visa application procedures and creating uncertainty. The number of Taiwanese and Korean travelers has dropped significantly as a result of visa complications, cost and other factors, said Frank Haas, marketing director for the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

"These markets used to be twice the size that they are now," Haas said. "Right now, for some of these markets, it's very difficult, very time consuming and very expensive to come over."