Introduction

This articles deals with the Visa Waiver Programme of the United States. A while ago 27 countries applied to the Visa Waiver Programme so that their citizens can travel freely to the United States without any visa requirements. At the moment, six European nations and South Korea can travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes without needing a visa for a short term stay.

Original article: “Seven Nations to Join U.S. Visa Waiver Programme” by Merle D. Kellerhals

Essay by Gemma Koenders
Master in Tourism Destination Management student 2008/2009

The waiver programme was initiated in 1986 “with the objective of eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry,” according to the State Department website.

There were 27 countries that applied to the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme but only six European nations and South Korea are able to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes in one month more without needing a visa for a short term stay or in other words for a stay up to 90 days.

At 17 October in the White House Rose Garden, Bush said that “For years the leaders of these nations have explained to me how frustrating it is for their citizens to wait in lines and pay visa fees to take a vacation or make a business trip or visit their families here in the United State. I told them I agree with them.”

Also Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania want to get access to the Visa Waiver Programme but at the moment they are still on the ‘visa waiver road map’ process so the countries still have to adopt to certain rules.

The countries only get excess to the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme if they share information with the United States about security threats or terrorism and visitor have to register themselves online before visiting the United States as well as tamper-proof biometric passports are required.

According to EUBusiness.com, the European Commission has welcomed the move from President Bush, saying it will pave the way for a strengthened relationship between America and the European Union.

Although the waiver programme was initiated in 1986 there were many critics on it because it was difficult for other countries to get access to the programme due to its strict rules. I also think that even after 9/11 this waiver programme was not lounged because of the terrorist attack and the United States even tightened more its rules and borders to tourists or business travellers to enter into the country.

However, at this moment the United States lounged the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme and the citizens of already six European Nations and South Korea can travel visa free to the United States within one month and more countries are to follow.

With the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme the United States will attract more tourists and business travellers to their country as it becomes easier to enter. What the United States did is that it changed its policy a little bit in cooperation with other countries.

So if the U.S. works together with the other countries the tourism industry can be improved as it becomes more attractive to travel to the U.S. but this is not without the cooperation of the countries with providing the U.S. of security and terrorism information this is really obligatory if the countries want to get access to the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme.

Again I think it is a good thing that the U.S. implied this Visa Waiver Programme because it will not only improve the tourism industry of the U.S. but also the other countries will benefit from this. However, I think that the U.S. asks a lot of critical information of the other countries about adopting their policies to the U.S. rules as well as about the security issues.