USTA for reform in US visa system to spur tourism in US

The complicated US visa system hurt tourism and would need to be reformed if the US wanted to attract lucrative tourism from countries like China, India and Brazil, according to travel industry officials.

The US Travel Association announced a plan to help reform the visa process which would create 1.3 million US jobs and add $859 billion to the US economy by 2020 through increased overseas tourism.

"The challenge we have is the unnecessary, burdensome U.S. visa system," said USTA president Roger Dow. "It's really self-imposed barriers that we put on ourselves as a country that have caused us to lose international travel and that have stymied international growth."

The US has come in for much criticism from travellers for the long time it takes to issue visas and lack of access in some countries to US consular offices. In some case people intending to visit US as tourists, have to travel across their country to get an interview for a visa. 

USTA figures show that while travel is the largest US industry export sector, the US has failed to keep pace with other parts of the world -- such as Western Europe -- as a travel destination in the past decade.

Looking specifically at growing economies like China, India and Brazil, global long-haul travel increased 140 per cent from 2000 to 2010 and is projected in the next decade to double again.