U.S. Travel Convenes Seamless & Secure Travel Commission

Last week, the U.S. Travel Association convened the Seamless & Secure Travel Commission, which will make policy recommendations to improve the U.S. travel market.

The commission was launched in response to a recent study which found that the U.S. ranks 17^th out of 18 top travel markets in terms of global competitiveness. U.S. Travel said that decades of underinvestment in the U.S. travel market have caused the nation to fall behind other countries that are employing aggressive strategies to attract visitors. According to the study, the U.S. notably underperforms in the areas of national leadership and identity, security and facilitation.

“U.S. officials cannot ignore the bold, decisive steps other nations are taking to advance and modernize their travel economies,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “The United States should aspire to lead the way into a new era of seamless and secure travel and capitalize on the many opportunities to grow this critical sector.”

The Seamless & Secure Travel Commission is initially seeking to move the needle in three critical areas: improving the passenger experience from end to end; modernizing technology to improve efficiency and security; and taking a more risk-based approach to streamline visa processing and lower visa wait times.