TIA Launches Passport Information Web Site
The Travel Industry Association and Travel Business Roundtable today announced the launch of a Web site to aid new passport applications in advance of stricter U.S. government regulations on international travel. GetAPassportNow.com is aimed at educating travelers about the pending Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requirement all air travelers to the U.S. have a passport or other secure documents beginning Jan. 23, 2007, association leaders said.
The new legislation, approved by Congress in 2004, closes a previous exception given to Americans returning from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The changing rules have spurred a 60 percent increase in U.S. passport applications in 2006 over the previous year, said TIA president and CEO Roger Dow.
"The State Department in 2006 is expected to issue 15 million passports. Our objective is to educate the traveling public-to have one-stop shopping for people that want information on getting a passport, whether they are from the United States, Canada or Mexico," Dow said.
Just 27 percent of all Americans currently have a passport, while 40 percent of Canadians have passports, according to the association.
Though some critics have called for a delay in implementing the new requirements, TIA and TBR support the start of stricter entry rules, said Rick Webster, TIA's vice president of government affairs.
"Based on the numbers we have from the government and the airlines, which have actually been requesting travelers to have a passport for a little over one year, we believe the numbers justify beginning this process. We do not anticipate any significant impact as a result of the rule going into place," Webster said.
Communication is the biggest challenge in implementing the requirements, he added.
"The traveling public wants to comply with WHTI, but the challenge is that they need to have it explained to them in very simple and clear language," Webster said. "We believe this site helps do that."
The site explains the new passport requirements, cites the deadlines and provides links where citizens of the U.S., Canada or Mexico can get information about and applications for their respective passports. It is intended to supplement efforts by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to inform travelers about the new rules, according to an association release.
Similar document requirements for land and sea travelers are scheduled to take effect in June. The TIA is a national, nonprofit organization representing all components of the $703 billion travel industry. The Travel Business Roundtable partners with the association as a CEO-based organization representing all sectors of the travel and tourism industry.