WTTC warns U.S. administration on risks of visa policies

Speaking in Las Vegas, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) President & CEO David Scowsill warned the U.S. administration that its current visa policies risk sending the country down the same path it took after 9/11, ‘which led to a decade of economic stagnation in the Travel & Tourism sector.’

“Strict visa policies and inward-looking sentiment led to a $600 billion loss in tourism revenues in the decade post-9/11,” warned Scowsill. “The Trump Administration is in danger of steering the country in the same direction, which could have a huge impact on the country’s travel and tourism sector, which generates over eight per cent of the country’s GDP and supports nearly 10 per cent of total employment in the U.S.”

During his speech, Scowsill implored the administration to recognize that travel is a key generator of American jobs and economic growth, and that tourism should be kept out of politics. He said that the decade of lost economic growth after 9/11 had shown that travellers have choices, and they will go elsewhere.

He said that using the technology available to share information would ensure that only the right people arrive at borders in the first place, and that consulting with the industry in advance of change would make the implementation of policies less damaging and more orderly.

“For the President who has promised to create jobs and to make America great again, Travel & Tourism seems the most obvious answer,” Scowsill said. “After all, the livelihood of millions of Americans depends on people being able to use plans, trains and automobiles to spend their tourist dollars.

"Travel and tourism thrives by breaking down barriers, not building them; by making it easier for people to travel, not applying blanket bans. Our sector bridges divides between cultures, fosters understanding across religious and geographic boundaries. It is a massive generator of jobs and economic growth,” he concluded.