The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation recently that is expected to strengthen security measures relating to the Visa Waiver Program, or VWP, as it is known to many.

The bill, which garnished tremendous support from both the U.S. Travel Association and the Power of Travel Coalition, overwhelmingly passed the House by a voting margin of 407 to 19.

According to Republican Michael McCaul, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman,

USA Visa Waiver Program

“This legislation will help close gaping security gaps and improve our ability to stop dangerous individuals before they reach our shores.”

Background on the Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program was started back in 1986 as an effort to bolster tourism from countries considered to be U.S. allies at the time. It allows tourists and visitors to stay for a period of 90 days before returning home without going thru the traditional visa application process.

In a nutshell, the House bill would require visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries to obtain an actual visa to travel to the United States if they have traveled or lived in Syria, Iraq, Iran or Sudan at any time during the past five years. The reasoning behind this measure is that U.S. officials estimate that some 5,000 Europeans, many of which reside in one of the 38 Visa Waiver Program countries, have traveled to Syria and Iraq alone to fight with Islamic terrorist groups, and thus pose significant U.S. security risks. The bill would also require countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program to share intelligence with the United States concerning suspected terrorists or risk being discontinued from the program.

Additional Visa Waiver Program Legislation

It should be noted there is also a Senate bill underway proposed by Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) that is thought to be more rigid, requiring the collection of biometric data from travelers. Specifically, the bill calls for e-passports with microchip technology that would contain data for “visa-free” travelers destined to the United States.

If the bill passes the Senate, and obtains president Obama’s signature, it could go in force by as early as next April.
The U.S. Travel Association does not share the same enthusiasm for the Senate’s version of the Visa Waiver Program bill however, stating that it “could discourage legitimate travelers from visiting the country.”

The Senate bill is sure to spur more controversy, with House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte recently stating “No amount of economic stimulation is worth risking the lives of our constituents.”

Which brings us to our original question … just how will this tightened legislation regarding the Visa Waiver Program affect tourism, and more specifically, for Orlando and Central Florida?

Will the New Visa Waiver Program Affect Orlando Tourism?

It is estimated that 20 million people fly to the United States annually from “visa waiver” countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Australia. The complete list of 38 Visa Waiver Program countries is included below. Just a few years ago in 2013, the Orlando Sentinel reported that there were about 57 million people who visited Orlando, with about 4.1 million of those, or 7.2%, being international travelers. In April of 2015, VisitOrlando.com reported that figure had surpassed 62 million visitors in 2014. Using the same ratio, it would stand to reason that international travelers could have grown to at least 4.46 million. In other words, tourism, including international travelers, has continued to grow across the board to Orlando.

While the new legislation is undoubtedly targeted at thwarting terrorism, and not law-abiding tourists, it would certainly be reasonable, especially given the numbers above, to suggest it will have some effect on the number of inbound U.S. travelers. The question is how much? Any Disney or Orlando traveler can’t help but notice the welcome influx of city and theme park visitors with British, German, French, or Australian accents. While that is a generalization, it is certainly an acceptable and real one.

Is it fair to project that a majority of those 4.1 million international tourists are part of that 20 million who are traveling in from one of the 38 visa waiver program countries? Given the list of countries below, the answer to the main question would be undoubtedly be “yes.” There is a very high chance that the new Visa Waiver Program will affect Orlando tourism.

Ultimately, the impact to Orlando tourism as a result of the Visa Waiver Program changes will depend on how many “families of 4” will decide to vacation at home (or elsewhere) instead of traveing abroad to the U.S. and subject their families to increased security measures.

Moreover, will these same potential visitors spend the extra time and money it takes to apply for and wait for actual travel visas? And if the Senate bill passes, will tourists agree to share their confidential biometric information just for the opportunity to take a trip to the Magic Kingdom? Only time will tell.

The 38 countries included in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) currently are as follows:
Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Chile
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Latvia

Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
South Korea
San Marino
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom

Some information included in this article was researched and obtained from USTravel.org, TravelCoalition.org, VisitOrlando.com, and OrlandoSentinel.com.