Mayor Lee Praises Obama Administration Initiative to Promote U.S. Tourism
SF Could be Greatest Beneficiary of Visa Program Among U.S. Cities
1/20/12— Mayor Edwin M. Lee praised the Obama Administration’s initiative to promote international travel and tourism to the United States by streamlining the process for issuing visas to foreign visitors from China, Brazil and other emerging markets. The initiative, contained in an Executive Order, will result in boosting foreign tourism to San Francisco and the Bay Area, a key driver of the region’s economy.
“As a leading destination for international visitors and as the Gateway to the Pacific, San Francisco enthusiastically supports the President’s initiative that will help boost our City’s top tourism and hospitality industry,” said Mayor Lee. “We are looking forward to welcoming more visitors from Brazil, China and beyond and we are in a position to greatly benefit from this initiative.”
Cumbersome visa processes can stall and hamper tourism, and President Obama’s Executive Order will increase visa processing capacity in Brazil and China by 40 percent this year and speed up visa applicant interviews. During peak summer travel periods, visitors in parts of China can wait months for required interviews, which will now be a matter of weeks. There will also be a pilot program to speed visitor visas for low-risk visitors and consideration of expanding foreign destinations whose nationals can visit the U.S. without visas to include Taiwan.
With nearly a million visitors in 2011 from China alone, San Francisco has been an active supporter of improvements to the visa process that would bring additional visitors to the Bay Area. Chinese visitors currently spend more than $6,000 per trip on visits to the U.S., according to the Department of Commerce. In 2010, half of the 800,000 Chinese visitors visited California, and nearly half of them visited San Francisco. The expected growth of Chinese visitors in 2012 to the U.S. is 22 percent (1.33 million Chinese visitors). It is forecasted more than two million Chinese tourists will visit the U.S. by 2015.
The growth of tourists from Brazil and China is projected to make a significant impact on the local economy over the next few years and the local hospitality industry has been preparing to accommodate the increased international visitors. For instance, San Francisco’s Hilton Huanying welcoming program for travelers features culturally competent services and amenities.
1/20/12— Mayor Edwin M. Lee praised the Obama Administration’s initiative to promote international travel and tourism to the United States by streamlining the process for issuing visas to foreign visitors from China, Brazil and other emerging markets. The initiative, contained in an Executive Order, will result in boosting foreign tourism to San Francisco and the Bay Area, a key driver of the region’s economy.
“As a leading destination for international visitors and as the Gateway to the Pacific, San Francisco enthusiastically supports the President’s initiative that will help boost our City’s top tourism and hospitality industry,” said Mayor Lee. “We are looking forward to welcoming more visitors from Brazil, China and beyond and we are in a position to greatly benefit from this initiative.”
Cumbersome visa processes can stall and hamper tourism, and President Obama’s Executive Order will increase visa processing capacity in Brazil and China by 40 percent this year and speed up visa applicant interviews. During peak summer travel periods, visitors in parts of China can wait months for required interviews, which will now be a matter of weeks. There will also be a pilot program to speed visitor visas for low-risk visitors and consideration of expanding foreign destinations whose nationals can visit the U.S. without visas to include Taiwan.
With nearly a million visitors in 2011 from China alone, San Francisco has been an active supporter of improvements to the visa process that would bring additional visitors to the Bay Area. Chinese visitors currently spend more than $6,000 per trip on visits to the U.S., according to the Department of Commerce. In 2010, half of the 800,000 Chinese visitors visited California, and nearly half of them visited San Francisco. The expected growth of Chinese visitors in 2012 to the U.S. is 22 percent (1.33 million Chinese visitors). It is forecasted more than two million Chinese tourists will visit the U.S. by 2015.
The growth of tourists from Brazil and China is projected to make a significant impact on the local economy over the next few years and the local hospitality industry has been preparing to accommodate the increased international visitors. For instance, San Francisco’s Hilton Huanying welcoming program for travelers features culturally competent services and amenities.