The U.S. Travel Association is calling on the Biden administration to enhance efforts to boost international visitation to the U.S. amid a declining trade surplus.<\/p>\n
Citing new data<\/a> released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the organization points out that the trade surplus dropped to just $4 billion last year, down from an all-time high of $85.9 billion in 2015.<\/p>\n In response, U.S. Travel is now calling for urgent federal action to rebuild inbound travel and reverse the disconcerting trade surplus trend.<\/p>\n One of the steps outlined is taking further action to lower visitor visa interview wait times<\/a>, which continue to exceed an average of 400 days for first-time applicants in the top 10 visa-requiring inbound markets.<\/p>\n U.S. Travel is also urging the government to end the COVID-19 vaccine requirement<\/a> for international visitors to the U.S. and address inefficiencies in the air travel system<\/a> as part of the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization.<\/p>\n “Travel has historically generated an annual trade surplus that meaningfully reduced the U.S. trade deficit,” U.S. Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. “The latest trade data is a wake-up call for immediate federal action to boost this essential industry and increase travel exports to benefit the entire U.S. economy.”<\/p>\n “It\u2019s no coincidence that the industry’s highest trade surplus occurred at a time when the federal government was making a concerted effort to increase inbound travel,” added Freeman. “Facilitating more inbound travel\u2014and effectively lowering the overall trade deficit\u2014should be a top economic priority for the Biden administration.”<\/p>\n The Biden administration previously set a goal of attracting 90 million international visitors and $279 billion in spending annually by 2027.<\/p>\n