U.S. Travel Association Expresses Appreciation for Common Sense Approach in ESTA Implementation
The U.S. Travel Association today expressed appreciation that the U.S. government has been implementing the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) using a common sense approach to facilitating travel to the U.S. while maintaining high security standards.
"Electronic authorization for travel is an important security program and the U.S. travel community supports full compliance,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. "DHS has been efficiently processing foreign citizens while remaining flexible and practical in their implementation of the mandatory system in order to avoid unnecessary disruptions in travel for international visitors.
“We will continue to work closely with DHS and others in the travel community to monitor ESTA implementation and ensure that while security is maintained, travelers are not unduly inconvenienced and business is not negatively impacted."
In 2009, according to Oxford Economics, the U.S. welcomed a projected 15.8 million arrivals from Visa Waiver Program countries that do not need a visa for short-term travel to the United States. Without a sensible approach, tens of thousands of international travelers could have been denied boarding each month at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. economy and thousands of jobs.
