The excessive wait time of more than 400 days for applicants for visitor visas in the United States, even after a year of reopening the borders, is significantly delaying the recovery of the international travel sector.
According to a statement released by the US Travel Association, a national organization representing all components of the travel industry, the average US visa wait time is around 400+ days for first-time visitor visa applicants in major domestic travel countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
At the same time, the same source pointed out that potential travelers coming from Brazil, India, and Mexico will wait 317, 757, and 601 days for visa interviews, respectively.
US Travel Association also emphasized that considering these unusual delays, it is clear that they are equivalent to a travel ban, thus pushing potential American visitors to choose other countries.
Last month’s US Travel Forecast estimated that the country will lose about seven million potential visitors and $12 billion in projected spending in 2023 alone due to outrageous wait times.
Tourism Economics, through new forecast analysis, also revealed that inbound travel would remain well below pre-pandemic levels this year and next, resulting in a loss of nearly 50 million visitors and $140 billion in travel spending adjusted by inflation.
As a result, during the years 2022-2023, there will be a decrease of eight million visitors and 28 billion dollars in travel expenses.
“The forecast is further proof that the US simply cannot afford to turn away high-spending international travelers. While other economic factors may be out of our control, reducing visitor visa wait times is easily within the Biden administration’s reach if only they would make it a priority,” US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman noted.
As US Travel explains, next week, on November 28, it will launch a new effort to highlight the voices most affected by extraordinary visa wait times. In addition, this will include potential travelers whose visits to the US have been delayed as well as US business interests who are feeling the pain of lost travel expenses.
It has added that it will create a personalized website in English and other languages, to capture the perspectives of potential visitors, as well as American businesses. By using this site, global travelers will share a testimonial about waiting for a US visitor visa.
Meanwhile, US small business owners and managers will also be invited to give their statements about the lost business opportunities associated with fewer international visitors.
Furthermore, on this page, travelers will be able to download fact sheets and data that detail the economic losses of the US due to excessive waiting times and also highlight policy priorities to help alleviate the backlog or even expedite processing in key foreign source markets of US travel.
The post US: Travelers Subject to Over 400-Day Wait Times for Visitor Visas appeared first on VisaGuide.World.
