Hoteliers in the United States were very pleased to hear the news announced by President Barack Obama about the creation of a task force to accelerate visa reform plans.
The industry recognizes that with this measure, the reduction of efforts to facilitate the entry into the US of important countries and business partners such as Brazil, India and China would positively influence the market.
"This presents a new world of opportunities for hotels and destinations in cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C, as they are all key locations for Chinese travelers," said Dave Horton, global president, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
Alvaro Diago, COO of the Latin American and Caribbean region of InterContinental Hotels Group, called Obama's announcement positive. "Many people do not have the opportunity to get a visa, which forces them to go to other countries and therefore, the United States has lost the opportunity to host them."
The U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Council estimated that with the measure, by 2015 there will be 500,000 new jobs at no cost to taxpayers.
Hoteliers, such as Doug Dreher, president and CEO of The Hotel Group, consider that the working group announced by Obama means an important step to improve international travel and that the occupancy figures will be over 60%: "With these visa reforms we will create an effective coalition that will directly benefit some 51,000 domestic hotels," said the executive.
