GBTA Urges Congress to Resist Imposing Burdensome Changes on Successful Visa Waiver Program

Alexandria, VA (March 11, 2015) – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing to take place this Thursday, March 12. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables citizens of European countries and US allies to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. The following statement can be attributed to Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO of the Global Business Travel Association.

“The Visa Waiver Program brings millions of travelers to the United States annually and pumps billions of dollars into our economy. By facilitating travel and trade with 38 countries, the VWP spurs job creation and economic growth. The Visa Waiver Program positively impacts business travel, which accounted for an estimated $1.2 trillion dollars in global spending last year.

The Visa Waiver Program is a critical tool for American businesses involved in international trade. While the program is intended only to facilitate travel with allies, GBTA recognizes the potential security concerns to the United States. As such, GBTA appreciates the need for oversight of the program, but urges Congress to resist imposing burdensome changes that would impact the viability of the program.”

CONTACT: Colleen Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org
Gayle Kansagor, +1 202-295-8775, gayle.kansagor@harbourgrp.com

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org