U.S. Prepares for 'Mega Decade' of Events with Expanded Visa Access
On October 29, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced significant progress to facilitate travel and tourism to the United States. Their remarks underscored the critical role of travel and tourism in fostering economic growth, cultural exchange, and global connections.
Secretary Blinken highlighted the progress made in visa processing and announced that fiscal year 2024 was a record-breaking year with 11.5 million visas issued, including 8.5 million visitor visas, representing a 10 percent increase over the previous year. Median wait times for first-time visitor visa interviews also dropped to under 60 days—a significant improvement from the pandemic-era.
Blinken also announced that the State Department plans to add an additional 1 million visa appointments in Fiscal Year 2025, furthering international travel opportunities for the upcoming “mega decade” of global sporting events and beyond.
Starting with the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Summer 2028 and Winter 2032, and more - efforts to streamline travel are timely and critical to success. “We’re doing everything we can to ramp up our capacity to make sure that everyone who’s coming to this country for these incredible events, as well as for so much else, get their visas in a timely way and a smooth way,” said Secretary Blinken.
Secretary Raimondo emphasized the significant economic impact of travel and tourism. Last year, 66 million international visitors came to the U.S., up from 50 million the previous year. She announced the tourism industry is on track to fully recover from the pandemic by 2025, with projections of 90 million visitors by 2026, a year ahead of the goal set by the National Travel and Tourism Strategy. Travel and tourism supports nearly ten million American jobs and generates $2.3 trillion in economic activity annually.
The success of these initiatives stems from a deep collaboration between the Departments of State and Commerce. The federal government is creating smoother pathways to drive economic growth and strengthen cultural connections by addressing pain points like visa wait times.
Secretary Blinken states these steps aren’t just about improving processes and metrics. “This is a matter for real people … enabling families to get together, enabling businesses to work together, enabling investors to do the work that’s helping to grow our economies around the world, and bringing people together for the most joyous things that unite us – sports, arts, culture, science and technology.”
Secretary Raimondo added, “Travel and tourism isn’t just fun … it’s real business. It is real economic activity, sustaining millions of good paying jobs in this country.” She went on to say, “This is an example of the State Department working with the Commerce Department hand in glove, fixing something … making a difference in the lives of Americans and improving our economy.”
To read a transcript of the joint press conference, please visit the Department of State newsroom here.
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