JacTravel,
the UK-based B2B wholesaler best known for its extensive range of
hotels online and inbound travel services, is reporting an
exceptional period of growth in tourism from Brazil to the United
States in the wake of visa reforms by the US government, in a report
to be released on the first day of the inaugural World Travel Market
Latin America.
In
the past year JacTravel’s Brazilian bookings to the US have more
than doubled, 127% up by value and 112% up by number of bookings, the
company will tell delegates at WTM Latin America, which is taking
place at the Transamerica Expocenter, Sao Paulo, Brazil (23-25
April).
JacTravel
puts this surge in growth down to measures taken by the US government
to speed up visa processing. Until early 2012 visas could only be
issued by the four US consulates in Brazil and the waiting time was
100 days. However, since March 2012, in order to speed things up, the
US State Department added processing staff and opened new offices.
Results have been immediate and dramatic. Waiting times have
virtually evaporated – down to just a week or even a couple of days
in some places – and demand for US tourist visas has increased more
than 60% in a few months.
WTM
Latin America, a Reed Travel Exhibitions event, has been launched to
tap in to the growing demand of Latin Americans to visit the world
and for the world’s tourists to visit Latin America.
JacTravel
sees participation at the new event as a key business development
initiative. It is aggressively sourcing hotel accommodation in the
USA and in Latin America to meet the demand. During the coming year,
it will increase its ‘American product’ from 1220 to 1600
directly contracted hotels, with a focus on major US and Canadian
cities, as well as Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
The
Brazilian government is lobbying the US government in order to
include Brazil in the Visa Waiver Program. President Dilma Roussef
and Barack Obama had a meeting last year about this subject and talks
are still ongoing.
