Pinellas tourism council backs plan easing U.S. visa rules

The Pinellas County Tourist Development Council today informally endorsed the U.S. Travel Association's plan that calls for easing the visa requirements on those wishing to travel to the U.S.

The association contends a "smarter" visa policy would create 1.3 million U.S. jobs by 2020.

The nonprofit organization, which is the U.S. tourism industry's marketing outlet, said in its report that a burdensome U.S. visa system imposes unnecessary barriers on international visitors that inhibit U.S. economic growth.

By failing to keep pace with long-haul international growth in the past decade, the U.S. lost a potential 78 million visitors, the report said.

Pinellas County drew 29,900 of its 5 million overnight visitors from Latin American countries in 2010, a report by Research Data Services Inc. of Tampa showed.

"The Latin American market is still small, but the potential is clearly there," Pinellas visitors consultant Walter Klages said.

The U.S. Travel report recommended four steps:

• Align State Department resources with market demands to prioritize inbound travel to increase economic activity, including mobile interviews with potential visitors in cities with no U.S. consulate.

• Improve State Department planning and transparency including sharing information with potential travelers about the visa process.

• Reduce visa interview times to 10 days or fewer. Some families in international countries must wait more than 30 days for an interview for a visa, which can knock the U.S. out of the running for a visit.

• Expand the visa waiver program with nations such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Poland and Taiwan.

While local officials said they'd like to tap into the burgeoning Brazilian travel market, they acknowledge the local focal point is the Gulf beaches, more so than the luxury shopping and theme park draws that Miami and Orlando can offer to Brazilian visitors who have fine beaches at home.