Skift Take
The U.S. needs to address visa wait time issues and others before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a major tourism event.
Millions of FIFA World Cup fans may not be able to attend the tournament in the U.S. if they encounter difficulties obtaining a visitor visa. This concern was raised by travel industry professionals at the U.S. Travel Association’s annual Destination Capitol Hill conference.
“The World Cup is only 800 days away,” said Megan Ryburn, Louisiana Travel Association’s director of external affairs. “With Colombia, this is a significant concern as the average wait time for that market is currently around 725 days.”
The U.S. is co-hosting the FIFA World Cup with Mexico and Canada in 2026. Several cities in the U.S., including Dallas, Atlanta, and New York, will host the games.
Wait times exceeding hundreds of days are anticipated in Colombia, India, and Mexico in 2024 for first-time visitor visas, as mentioned by Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services, in a Skift interview.
U.S. Travel estimates that first-time visa wait times average over 400 days for the country’s top source markets. The State Department is working on reducing these wait times.
Delegates also emphasized the need to reduce customs wait times at airports and pass the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, as mentioned by Travel Oregon Strategist Kate Baumgartner.
The Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill must be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president by May 8, according to Barnes.
New Tourism Secretary Office Needs Consistent Cash
Delegates also advocated for funding the new assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism beyond the 2025 fiscal year. Congress recently allocated up to $3.5 million for the position in the 2024 fiscal year, which has yet to be filled.
“The U.S. is the only G-20 country without a federal agency or cabinet-level official in charge of travel policy, which would help bridge the gap between our state-level delegation priorities and our Congress members,” stated Ryburn.
Getting Bills Passed Before 2024 Presidential Election Goes Full Swing
Two other key topics during the week included the future of tourism policy post-presidential election and the willingness of Congress to accomplish tasks before the election, as highlighted by Amir Eylon, CEO of Longwoods International.
“Things may slow down in Washington D.C. in the latter half of the year and during a general election year,” shared Baumgartner. “The urgency of certain policy items, like the FAA reauthorization, may be heightened in the spring and summer.”
