The CEOs of Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, urging governments to move quickly to ease visa restrictions.

　　The CEOs of Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, urging governments to move quickly to ease visa restrictions.

　　Both Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide, McLean, Virginia, and Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, Bethesda, Maryland, said easing visa restrictions would stimulate global travel, create new jobs and spur economic development.

　　“In 2012, the UN World Tourism Organization reported that more than one billion people traveled outside their borders – a tremendous catalyst for global commerce and new jobs,” Nassetta said. “We are here at the World Economic Forum to tackle complex and challenging economic, social, environmental and political issues. Enabling greater international travel is the low-hanging fruit that can create significant economic growth and employment.”

Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide, speaks in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo by World Economic Forum

　　Nassetta and Sorenson noted that many countries are recognizing the economic benefits of international travel and tourism and making secure and convenient travel a policy priority, including Turkey, which has more than doubled international visitation in a decade by providing visas on arrival; China, which has implemented visa-free travel for three days to Beijing for 45 countries; Russia, which is encouraging visa-free travel to and from the European Union; and Australia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been utilizing electronic visas, where the process is on-line and takes minutes, not days or weeks. The ASEAN nations are moving to a common regional visa to promote economic development.

　　“Smart governments are thinking about international travel and tourism as trade, and they are doing everything they can to remove barriers and be more strategic in addressing visas and other access issues that discourage people from traveling and doing business,” Sorenson said. “While we recognize that security remains a top concern, we call on the world leaders here at Davos to be visionary about a future world of interconnected markets where moving travelers more easily will allow more people to see the world and result in 2 billion world travelers in the next decade.”

　　Last year, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the development of a national travel and tourism policy. Since then, the U.S. has seen an increase in international arrivals as the visa waiver program was expanded to Taiwan and wait times for in-person interviews, most notably in China, Brazil, and Mexico, were brought down to under one week.

　　“We applaud those governments who are taking visionary approaches to facilitating travel, enhancing economies and providing employment opportunities worldwide. We view the private sector and Forum leaders as powerful partners to ensure progress continues so that global visa and entry policies are augmenting and enhancing the free-flow of goods, services, and people,” said Nassetta and Sorenson.