Nevada Tourism to Boom with Faster Visa Processing
January 31, 2012 – According to US Senator Harry Reid, Nevada’s tourism will increase and eventually provide more jobs for local residents with a faster visa process. This was after President Obama announced that the government, in an effort to bring in more tourists, will make visa processing faster. This can be done by using the esta visa or online esta, in getting a US visa. Known as Electronic System Travel Authorization, esta application can be done via the internet where passport holders of VWP member-countries will be able to go to the US for up to three months without needing a visa.
He said, “President Obama’s announcement is a shot in the arm for Nevada’s largest industry: tourism. This incredibly important initiative for Nevada will take the necessary steps to increase travel and tourism in the United States.”
Considering that Nevada has no income tax, it generates its revenues from the tourism industry. More than that, the tourism industry can generate about 230,000 local jobs. This is not impossible as Nevada is the place of some of the most famous tourist destinations from Lake Tahoe to the Las Vegas Strip.
Reid also mentioned that about 18 percent of the tourists that visited the state in 2010 were from foreign countries which have helped provide 96,000 jobs.
“Increasing foreign travel will create jobs throughout Nevada and our nation because international visitors spend more, on average, than their domestic counterparts. I am pleased that the Administration will focus on growing our nation’s share of foreign travelers,” added Reid.
According to United Nations’ World Tourism Organizations, about a billion international tourists will be recorded this year. However, due too much hassles and need for time to process a visa, the US is going to miss out—if it has not yet—on these visitors.
In 2000, America had a share of 17 percent of tourist arrivals but that dropped to only 11 percent in 2010.
Source:
asianjournal.com
