International Travel Key to Economy, National Interests
CONTACT: Caleb Tiller | 703-684-0836 Ext. 138
Alexandria, VA (June 1, 2005) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today announced its support of bills introduced in the House and Senate to extend by one year the deadline for countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to begin issuing passports that include biometric data identifying the passport holder.
“As a group of business travel industry leaders, NBTA understands the significant impact of business travel from the 27 countries in the Visa Waiver Program to the United States on our national and world economies,” said NBTA President and CEO, Carol A. Devine, CCTE. “Postponing the biometric passport requirement deadline for VWP countries by one year will give those nations more time to implement the required new technology and allow travel to flow normally in the meantime, which is important to our economy and national interest.”
The requirement was originally introduced as part of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002, with a deadline of October 26, 2004. That deadline was extended by one year after lobbying by NBTA and other organizations. Recent reports indicate the U.S. Department of State believes only three of the 27 countries in the program will have biometric passports ready by the current October 2005 deadline. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced companion bills (HR 2628 in the House and S 1124 in the Senate) to extend that deadline to October 2006.
NBTA is part of an international alliance of corporate travel associations called the Paragon Partnership. Many of the other Paragon associations have reported to NBTA that business travelers from their countries will cut back on travel to the United States if the deadline is maintained and their countries’ passports do not meet the requirement. That would cost the United States significantly in terms of money no longer spent here on travel, as well as a decrease in international business with U.S. companies. And, because the United States is not likely to have its own biometric passports in place by that date, requiring VWP partner countries to have such technology could damage the perception of the United States in some of the countries with which the United States has the closest relationships.
Visitors to the United States from Visa Waiver Program countries are subject to other security measures, including having their names checked against security databases, enrollment in the US-VISIT program that tracks entry and exit from the country with biometric identifiers and inspection by immigration officials. They must also present upon entry a machine-readable passport. If they don’t have a machine-readable passport, they are required to obtain a visa.
Devine continued, “We strongly support sound travel security, but not at the expense of our national interests. Chairman Lugar and Representative Flake understand that an extension of the biometric passport requirement deadline for VWP countries is vital to the U.S. economy. We thank them for introducing these bills, and we urge other Members of Congress and Senators to support the measure.”
The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate and government travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry. For more on NBTA, visit www.nbta.org.
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