| TED Case Studies |
Saudi Arabia Visa and Toursim |
General Information |
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I. Identification
1. The Issue The
Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables citizens of certain countries to travel to
the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining
a visa. This program is a significant policy because visa waiver influences
tourism and travel patterns. Visa
waiver helps the tourism industry by generating foreign exchange earning and
increasing employment for the host country. On the other hand, visa waiver can
create problems in the tourism industry if there is abundance of security
concerns. After 9/11 newer, tighter
security measures are introduced every day. Even Visa waiver participants have
to deal with the new regulations to enter the USA. Today foreign visitors
entering the United States with a visa waiver are subject to the new
requirements under a program designed to both enhance U.S. border security and
ease travel. These tight security
measures are introduced overtime, and traveler must get used it.
Furthermore, countries that deal with WVP programs have to meet
the U.S government new regulations.
Because of the of security concerns, there is a need to develop a new
requirement for countries to be included in the visa waiver programs. One of the suggested requirements is to have
a biometric passport. The problem is that most of the so-called “Visa waiver
countries “ like England, France, Germany, Japan have
told the United States they will not be able to meet a deadline for issuing
travelers a biometric passport. The Department of Homeland Security is
conducting a review of all U.S. visa policies
including the Visa Waiver Program.
Congressional statutes require that
half of the VWP countries be reviewed each year to determine their fitness to
remain in the program. Argentina's six-year
participation in the program was terminated the program in 2002 due to the fact
that they did not meet the new changes in time. Changes in the Visa Wavier Program are not only affecting the
visa waiver participants but also the American traveler who travel under the
VWP.
2. Description
The Visa Waiver
Program is an important tourism policy because it helps the economy, and it
enables travelers to enter certain countries for a limited time without dealing
with visa issues. Countries that use
the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) limit the traveler’s stay from one to three
months, which increases the revenue to the countries that host the traveler.
Most of the countries that deal with VWP are trusted partners to the USA, and
they possess machine-readable passports. But still government needs to identify
the security measures required to eliminate any possible threat. The impact of
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks caused visa restrictions in the
United States. As a result, the United
States planned more security measures and more restrictions on visas. The restrictions on visas caused a decline
of travel by foreign tourists in the United States. The USA used to earn more from international tourism but this restriction
caused a negative balance. Visa
applications to the United States, which had been growing by nearly 20 percent
a year, fell last year by 20 percent,. In 2003, 13.5 million visitors entered
the United States under this program,
Constituting 49% of all overseas visitors.
3. Related Cases
4. Author and Date:
Wafa Al-otaiby
Master's of Tourism Administration
and Hospitality Management
The George Washington University
600 21st St., NW
Washington, DC
USA
(alotaiby@gwu.edu )
II. Policy Impacts
5. Social Visa wavier program can change the causal shifts in travel
patterns for and preference for travelers from one country to others.
6. Economic Visa waiver
helps the tourism industry by generating foreign exchange earning and
employment for countries participants. The changes in visa waiver program could
cost airlines millions in revenues. Visa wavier programs allow travelers to
spend time inside the country while waiting for a connecting flight to another
international destination. If the
traveler is not allowed in the country the airlines will have to reroute the
traveler through airports outside the USA. The visa waiver program has
supported travel and tourism industries in the United States of America. The Visa Waiver program is an instrument
that promotes travel and causes improved economic growth generated by
international tourism and commerce for the United States
7. Other:
New security measures and concerns. Congress required that the 27
countries issue travelers to the United States machine-readable passports with
a biometric identifier. The biometric identifier has not yet been defined, but
it may be a fingerprint or facial recognition technology. VWP will have to come
up with an agreement to define the biometric requirements.
8. Suggested Interventions
The problem is
that most of the so-called “Visa Waiver countries “ like England, France,
Germany, Japan have told the United States they will not be able to meet a
deadline for issuing travelers biometric passports. It is estimated that one or
two countries might be able to comply by 2005, namely Japan and England. As a
result the Immigration and Nationalization Services (INS) should ensure the
safety of traveler to the USA by using profiling and gathering data from the
airline. This data can help fight
terrorism, however, there is a risk that the data could be used for other
purposes, including transfer to other services of the US administration or to
third parties. As a result, there is a need to structure a new regulation for
traveler privacy that insures that government or other agents use that data
only for ensuring the safety of the traveler and not use it against fundamental
freedoms or the rights of travelers. Develop data protection laws and privacy
standards internationally. These laws and agreements help in transferring data
internationally and define how it should be used and should be made within the
framework. Using the Sydney Agreement as international data protection laws. In
Sydney they define the condition necessary for ensuring data protection, have
clear targets to justify the collection of the data, strict limits on storage
period and provision of adequate use of the information gathered.
10. Discourse an The Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
was created by an act of Congress as a pilot program in 1986 and implemented in
1988. Congress passed legislation to make the program permanent in October
2000, and the President signed the legislation on October 30, 2000; however,
after September 11, 2001, concerns have been raised about the possibility of
terrorists to enter the United States under the visa waiver program. Under Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
regulations, travelers who wish to enter the United States through the VWP are
subject to the biometric requirements of the US-VISIT program.
These new regulations may cause a decline in the number of travelers. The VWP program helps international travel and commerce and
eases the workload abroad. However there is a concern about the screening
process for foreign visitors. Countries can be immediately terminated from VWP
if any crisis occurs that threatens the law enforcement or safety interest of
the United States and the USA PATRIOT Act. All of these Laws and acts were
developed to enhanced border security in all the participating countries. d Status/Policy Issue: 11. Forum and
Scope/Existing Policy Framework: o International 27 countries involved
international o o National Department of Homeland
Securities, INS Immigration and Nationalization Services o o Regional USA o Local Washington DC , Government agencies
and business 12. Decision Breadth/Stakeholders/Policy Actors: Currently, 27 countries participate in
the Visa Waiver Program, and the government of the United States of America Andorra (MRP) Iceland Norway Australia Ireland Portugal Austria Italy San Marino Belgium (MRP) Japan Singapore Brunei (MRP) Liechtenstein (MRP) Slovenia (MRP) Denmark Luxembourg Spain Finland Monaco Sweden France The Netherlands Switzerland Germany New Zealand United Kingdom 13. Legal
Standing/Legal Regulatory Visa Waiver Permanent Program Act
Congress passed legislation to make the program permanent in October 2000, and
the President signed the legislation on October 30, 2000 Framework/Suggested Policy Intervention New Act for international privacy
and profiling
14. Type of Measure: regulation and safety of traveler and the
ease of travelers 15. Relation of Trade
Measure to Environmental/Tourism Impact
a. Directly Related to Product: Yes tourism and travel industries in the USA b. Indirectly Related to Product: Yes
foreigners Policy and international relation and trades c. Not Related to Product: Western
influence and culture diffusion 16. Trade Product
Identification/Trade and Services: 17.
Economic Data The visa waiver
Program have caused a steadily increase of number of traveler to the United
States, up to 17.7 million in the year 2000. After 9/11 the number of visitors
entering under the VWP declined by 3.4 million or 20% between 2001 and 2002;
however, the number of people entering under the VWP increased in 2003 from
13.2 million to 13.5 million 15. Impact
of Trade Restriction: The U.S. Department of Justice announced on February 20th
2002, that Argentina would be officially removed from the Visa Waiver Program
(VWP) because Argentina did not meet the US requirements. Other countries have
acted in response to the USA restriction in a negative way. 19. Industry Sector: Tourism and Airlines, car rental, hotels
occupancy…etc
23. Urgency and Lifetime/Urgency
and Policy Review: Most
countries will not meet the deadline for the biometric passport. People who
were already legally in the United States perpetrated September 11
attacks. Spending money on scanning all
travelers is not very cost efficient. It will be of more benefit if they narrow
down the number of travelers that they will scan by using profiling. Profiling
is gathering data about traveler and matching it the data with travelers’
personality and patterns of spending. 24. Substitutes/Alternative Policies: Profiling
and Building a database that is used all over the world to gather information
on travelers and their patterns of behavior, in addition to using the biometric
passport. Which will eliminate the number of unlawful use of other passports to
enter the US, biometric passport will help to ensure the identity of the
travelers.
26.
Recommendations Extend
the congress-mandated time required for the 27 countries using biometric
passports. Come to agreement as to
which is a better measurement for biometric identifiers such as fingerprints or
facial recognition technology and use one or the other as a standard for the
biometric passport. Use profiling and
train government agents to use it in an effective way for visitors, and develop
more regulations to protect traveler’s privacy.
27. Culture: Privacy concerns and standards for the
biometric identifier, governments 29. Rights: Privacy concerns and Course of action 30. Relevant Literature 1- How
to save the tourist industry. By: Sandilands, Ben. BRW, 06/29/98, Vol. 20
Issue 24, p64, 3p, 3c; (AN 830394) 2-Business v Bush ,
Economist, 00130613, 10/18/2003, Vol. 369, Issue 8346 3- Visa-Waiver Reprieve , By: Bond, David, Aviation Week & Space
Technology, 00052175, 9/15/2003, Vol. 159, Issue 11 Krohn, Franklin, Ahmed, Zafar
U,."Reversing the United States Decline competitiveness in the marketing
of international tourism: A perspective on future policy." Journal of
travel Research (Fall 200) Magazine Article Devine Carol, Volume, 20, issue 17, Robert Block
in Washington and Philip Shishkin in Brussels. Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition).
New York, N.Y.: Apr 5, 2004. p. A.6 Companies: European
Union (NAICS: 926110 ) Author(s): Section: WORLD NEWS Publication title: Financial
Times. London (UK): Mar
13, 2004. pg. 9 U.S.
Security Moves Worrying Industry Critical
Nature of the J-1 Visa Waiver Program for Foreign Medical Graduates U.S.
government expels legitimate reporters U.S.
Passport Rules Could Hit Allies --- Security-Oriented Policy Could Discourage
Travel For Citizens of 27 Nations Visa
waiver rules tightened Companies: Continental
Airlines Inc(Ticker:CAL , NAICS: 481111 , Duns:09-944-7401 ) Publication title: Airport
Security Report. Potomac: Dec
18, 2002. pg. 1 Special issue: Vol. 9, Issue: 26 [Copyright
2002 PBI Media, LLC. All rights Source Type: Periodical
III. Legal Clusters
IV. Trade Clusters
V. Macro/Environment Clusters/Tourism Policy Clusters
VI. Conclusion
VII
Other Factors
Anonymous, Visa examine European difference on corporate spending Habits? European
Business review. Bradford: 2001 Vol. 13 iss 3
Robeson, Eric, Change in Visa Wavier
program can cost Airline Millions American and Untied Airline Inc. Knight Rider
Tribune Business news Aug 7, 2003
Donna M Airoldi. Meeting News.
New York: Feb 16, 2004. Vol. 28, Iss. 2; p. 1 (3 pages)
Mark G Tozzio. Journal of
Healthcare Management. Chicago: Jan/Feb 2004. Vol. 49, Iss. 1; p. 61
Maria Trombly. The Quill.
Chicago: Jul 2003. Vol. 91, Iss. 5; p. 64
By Marjorie Valbrun. Wall Street
Journal (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Jun 20, 2003. p. A.2
TTG, Travel Trade Gazette, U.K. and Ireland.
Tonbridge: Apr 28, 2003. p. 28
1/2001;4/2004