Travel group ‘amenable’ to Obama visa changes

The U.S. Travel Association is “amenable” to changes to a program waiving visas for some tourists announced Monday by the Obama administration in response to this month’s deadly attacks in Paris. 

The White House said Monday that the U.S. is “aggressively strengthening” the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program and “bolstering our relationships” with the 38 countries whose tourists are currently allowed to visit the U.S. without obtaining a visa. 

Travel groups have resisted proposals to restrict access to the U.S. following the attacks in Paris, but U.S. Travel Association President Roger Dow said Monday that the industry is willing to accept Obama’s proposed changes. 

{mosads}”The American travel community continues to be amenable to enhancements to the Visa Waiver Program,” Dow said in a statement. “Travel cannot thrive without security, and even the most successful programs should be continually evaluated and updated to reflect the ever-evolving security landscape.

Lawmakers have questioned the visa waiver program often in recent years, citing terrorism fears that were attributed to the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). 

Travel groups have been pushing to expand visa waiver program, despite fears about potential terrorist attacks that were raised even before the events in Paris. 

The White House said Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will seek to determine whether any travelers to the U.S. had visited “countries constituting a terrorist safe haven.” 

DHS, the FBI and other arms of government will also offer support to countries participating in the program so they can more thoroughly screen refugees and other migrants. The U.S. will also provide “surge teams” to help those countries block radicals from crossing their borders. 

Additionally, federal agencies are being directed to look for ways to beef up the program’s screening of fingerprints, photographs and other biometric data, as well as reviewing how well the U.S. and other countries share intelligence.

Dow said Monday that he hopes the changes to the program do not go much further than Obama’s announcement on Monday. 

“Our hope is that the debate remains a substantive one and does not devolve into political theater,” he said. “We will approach proposals for strengthening the VWP with an open mind, and will evaluate ideas based on their feasibility and contributions to our security.”

-Julian Hattem contributed to this report.