July 2012 Newsletter U.S. Travel Applauds President’s Export Council Recommendations By Cathy Keefe ustravel.org Washington, DC - New proposals will increase U.S. exports through international travel and close the trade gap, according to the President’s Export Council (PEC). The measures, applauded by the U.S. Travel Association, include lower visa wait times, expansion of the Visa Waiver Program and longer-term visas. “In 2010, President Obama set a goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015, and since then the U.S. travel industry has taken the lead in identifying and removing barriers to increased international travel,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “Increased exports will have a substantial economic benefit. If the U.S. doubles arrivals in five years from just three key emerging high-growth markets - Brazil, China and India - we would receive a total of $24 billion in export revenues that would support 206,300 travel-related jobs.” Prominent U.S. Travel Association board members, Robert A. Iger, president and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, and Gary W. Loveman, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Directors of Caesars Entertainment Corp., serve on the PEC along with travel leader Richard L. Friedman, CEO of Carpenter & Company, Inc. and have championed the need to increase travel exports to the United States. “America has a tremendous opportunity to enjoy increased visitation from international tourists,” said Loveman. “We must work together to remove unnecessary impediments to their efforts to visit our destinations and, as a result, support our travel and retail industries.” The PEC met at the White House on Wednesday, June 6. Included in its discussion was a letter to President Obama outlining travel-specific measures that would increase international travel to the United States. “I am very pleased that the President’s Export Council unanimously approved the letter I drafted to President Obama on visa policy,” said Friedman. “We have a lot of momentum in bringing more visitors to America and boosting our economy. The Administration should be commended for seeing and seizing this opportunity. The steady support and pressure from the travel industry is paying off – we are dramatically headed in the right direction.” The letter urges action in three areas: Lower Visa Wait Times: U.S. consulates have experienced surges in visa demand, and the State Department has implemented new initiatives to meet heightened expectations. However, demand is expected to increase, which is why the PEC is urging President Obama to establish a two-week visa interview wait time benchmark for all non-immigrant visas. - U.S. Travel Applaiuds President’s Recommendations... - Same Day Travel Changes Made Easy and Affordable... - Delta to Offer Free WiFi on Long Haul Flights... - New Breathalyzer Law in France... - Blindsided by Ancillaries? GBTA Guide May Help... - A Little Known Way to Fly for Free... - European Travel Tips: Ways to Save This Summer... - Hertz Extrends MotoGP Deal for Two More Years... - New Translation App for Travelers Focuses on Compliments... Contents:
Transcript
July 2012 Newsletter
U.S. Travel Applauds President’s Export Council RecommendationsBy Cathy Keefe ustravel.org
Washington, DC - New proposals will increase U.S. exports through international travel and close the trade gap, according to the President’s Export Council (PEC). The measures, applauded by the U.S. Travel Association, include lower visa wait times, expansion of the Visa Waiver Program and longer-term visas. “In 2010, President Obama set a goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015, and since then the U.S. travel industry has taken the lead in identifying and removing barriers to increased international travel,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “Increased exports will have a substantial economic benefit. If the U.S. doubles arrivals in five years from just three key emerging high-growth markets - Brazil, China and India - we would receive a total of $24 billion in export revenues that would support 206,300 travel-related jobs.” Prominent U.S. Travel Association board members, Robert A. Iger, president and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, and Gary W. Loveman, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Directors of Caesars Entertainment Corp., serve on the PEC along with travel leader Richard L. Friedman, CEO of Carpenter & Company, Inc. and have championed the need to increase travel exports to the United States. “America has a tremendous opportunity to enjoy increased visitation from international tourists,” said Loveman. “We must work together to remove unnecessary impediments to their efforts to visit our destinations and, as a result, support our travel and retail industries.” The PEC met at the White House on Wednesday, June 6. Included in its discussion was a letter to President Obama outlining travel-specific measures that would increase international travel to the United States. “I am very pleased that the President’s Export Council unanimously approved the letter I drafted to President Obama on visa policy,” said Friedman. “We have a lot of momentum in bringing more visitors to America and boosting our economy. The Administration should be commended for seeing and seizing this opportunity. The
steady support and pressure from the travel industry is paying off – we are dramatically headed in the right direction.” The letter urges action in three areas: Lower Visa Wait Times: U.S. consulates have experienced surges in visa demand, and the State Department has implemented new initiatives to meet heightened expectations. However, demand is expected to increase, which is why the PEC is urging President Obama to establish a two-week visa interview wait time benchmark for all non-immigrant visas.
- U.S. Travel Applaiuds President’s Recommendations...- Same Day Travel Changes Made Easy and Affordable...- Delta to Offer Free WiFi on Long Haul Flights...- New Breathalyzer Law in France...- Blindsided by Ancillaries? GBTA Guide May Help...- A Little Known Way to Fly for Free...- European Travel Tips: Ways to Save This Summer...- Hertz Extrends MotoGP Deal for Two More Years...- New Translation App for Travelers Focuses on Compliments...
Contents:
INfocusfocusJuly 2012 Newsletter
Expand the Visa Waiver Program: The PEC urges the Administration to support bipartisan legislation cur-rently before Congress (S. 3199/H.R. 5741) that would amend the qualification criteria for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and allow new countries to be considered for entry. In 2011, countries included in the VWP were the largest source of inbound travel for the U.S., bringing more than 18 million overseas visitors, or 65 percent of all visitors, to the United States. These visitors spent nearly $69 billion while traveling to and within the United States, directly supporting 525,000 American jobs along with $12.8 billion in payroll and generating $10.5 billion in tax revenues. Negotiate Longer Term Visas: The U.S. has ten-year visa reciprocity terms with a number of countries, in-cluding Brazil and India. However, for a growing economic powerhouse like China, the U.S. provides only one-year multiple-entry visas. Visa validity is governed by reciprocal treatment of U.S. citizens, and the PEC encourages the Administration to continue negotiating for longer visa terms with China. This would help to spur even greater growth in travel between the United States and China. Each Chinese national spends on average more than $6,000 while traveling in the United States, helping to support more than 35,000 Ameri-can jobs.
U.S. Travel Applauds President’s Export Council Recommendations (cont’d.)
Same-Day Travel Changes Made Easy and Affordable
Last minute change of plans? Need to change your departure time? It may not be as expensive as you think.
The following are a few carriers offering easy same-day travel change options to passengers for a reasonable fee.
Re: France - new laws coming into effect in July - to be enforced in November.
Please be advised there is a new law (enacted 01JUL12) in France that will require all motorists to have a breathalyzer on hand while operating a ve-hicle. The French police will begin enforcing the new law as of November 1, with spot checks on roads. All motorists, including those in rental cars, should have a breath alcohol testing instrument on hand. If a driver is pulled over by police for any reason and is found not to have the kit in their car, the fine will be €17.00 ($23.00 USD).
For the most part, car rental vendors have plans to purchase and house the necessary kits in rental ve-hicles in advance of the enforcement date.
This law will apply to all car agencies.
Delta to Offer Free WiFi on Long-Haul FlightsReport by Mark Caswell
Delta is to add wifi capabilities to its fleet of over 150 Boeing and Airbus long-haul aircraft, with the rollout starting early next year.
The airline already offers wifi on domestic US services using ground-to-air technology, but satellite coverage will now be added to Boeing B777, B767, B747 and selected B757 aircraft, as well as its Airbus A330s. The rollout will start early next year, and is set to be completed by 2015, by which point Delta will have around 1,000 wifi-enabled aircraft across its fleet.
Wifi internet access on international flights will be provided using “high-bandwidth Ku-band capacity satellites”. It’s not yet clear what price point the service will be provided at, or which routes it will launch on.
Earlier this month Air France KLM announced plans to trial wifi internet access on B777 aircraft next year (see online news June 11), and Japanese carriers JAL and ANA have both recently confirmed they will offer wifi on long-haul services.
Blindsided By Ancillaries? GBTA Guide May Helpby Fred Gebhart
Ancillary fees are a pain in the budget. But the pain is not so much that suppliers are adding fees to the bottom line. The real pain comes from being blindsided by fees. This surprise factor has prompted the Global Business Travel Association to create the first-ever handbook of travel industry ancillary fees. “There are more than 40 different ancillary fees that you have to watch for,” said Joe Bates, senior director of research for the GBTA Foundation. GBTA’s “2012 Ancillary Fee Handbook: Who Charges What, When & Where” calls itself the most complete guide to ancillary fees ever compiled. Based on a GBTA Foundation study, the report covers the range of fees charged by airline, hotel, and car rental suppliers. Better tracking
“We’re not saying that these fees are good or bad, justified or not justified. We just want travel managers to be aware of the possibilities,” Bates told Travel Market Report.
The handbook, which is free to GBTA members, gives travel managers a better idea of the kinds of charges and fees to look for on expense reports. Too many travel managers are not tracking ancillaries, he said. A GBTA survey from mid-2011 found that only 21% of travel managers were tracking ancillary fees. Yet fees accounted for more than 8% of the total travel spend, according to the survey. “That’s not a trivial amount at all,” Bates said. “Even if you’re only spending $1 million a year on travel, $80,000 is ancillary spend. That’s somebody’s salary for the year. “This handbook is the first step in boosting that 21% who are tracking fees up to 100%.” Click here to read the full article. Resources The 2012 Ancillary Fee Handbook is free to members. Nonmembers may purchase the report by emailing [email protected].
Three criteria Fees are evaluated in three areas: •howcommonlyeachfeeisassessed •howtransparentthefeeistobothtravelerandtravelplanner/manager •howeasyitisfortravelersandplanners/managerstotrackthefeeonceithasbeen assessed
A Little Known Way To Fly for FreeIf you play your credit cards right, you can travel for no money or get big discounts. But you must know and follow the rules of the game.
A few years ago, I started searching for the best ways to save money on airline flights. I wanted to see the world -- or at least the United States -- but I didn't have a bottomless budget. In the end, I found something surprising.There is a group of people who fly for free by using a strategy that is the complete opposite of what most people do.
How to fly for freeIt probably comes as no surprise to you that a great way to fly for cheap is by using frequent flyer miles. It's pretty simple: Cash in your miles, get a free flight and travel for less.
At first, I assumed that you had to fly all the time to earn frequent flyer miles. They are called "frequent flyer" miles after all. As it turns out, that's not true. The best way to earn frequent flyer miles isn't by flying at all. It's by finding the best credit card deals for earning frequent flyer miles, free hotel stays and rewards points.
Here's your bonus . . .The credit card market is extremely competitive and very lucrative. As a result, credit card companies hand out huge frequent flyer bonuses to get people to sign up for their cards.
A typical bonus for getting a new credit card is 25,000 frequent flyer miles. Occasionally, you can get as many as 100,000 frequent flyer miles just by signing up for a new card.
In case you're wondering, 100,000 frequent flyer miles is enough to get you a round-trip business-class ticket from the U.S. to Europe. That's a value of about $5,000 for taking 10 minutes to fill out a credit card application.Despite the huge payoff, I was still skeptical at first. How many cards could I apply for? Would this strategy hurt my credit score?
The 'churn'As I read more about credit card bonuses, I stumbled upon a group of people called "churners."Credit card churners are people who churn through credit card applications on a regular basis to get as many frequent flyer miles as possible. They apply for a card, spend the minimum amount necessary, get the frequent flyer miles, cancel the card a year later, and then do it all over again.
Some churners are so consistent with their efforts that they have earned more than a million frequent flyer miles in a single year. With that many miles, you could literally fly around the world multiple times for free.Churners find out about credit card deals from a variety of websites, blogs and forums. There are even free email newsletters like CreditCardFlyers.com that will send you a brief update of the best credit card deals.
How to keep churning from hurting your creditCredit card churning will not hurt your credit score if you do two things:
1. Pay your balance in full every month.2. Carry little or no debt.
In fact, if you do those two things, churning may actually have a positive impact on your credit score. This is because you are getting more overall credit by applying for new cards, but you are spending about the same amount as before. This causes your credit-utilization ratio to drop, which can actually improve your credit score.If you pay your balance in full and carry no debt, it is very unlikely that you will make a major credit card mistake, and you will see little or no impact from churning.
European Travel Tips: How to Save This Summerby Max Hartshorne
I got an email from my cousin Rob who asked me advice about where to go. He has a week in August and last summer he spent a month in Costa Rica learning Spanish while living with a family. My reply? Barcelona! Spain is a wonderful destination….and Barcelona has got to be one of the world’s most fun cities. I suggested to him that he go down to his local bank and buy euros. The rate now is about $1.30 which is an all-time low. And unless Greece is your vacation destination, you will always be able to use the money later. Buying euros before you leave avoids the uncertainty that I often get when I go abroad. When am I gonna change money? How much will the commission be? What if I have to buy them for $1.60 each, that sucks! The other advice I gave Rob is to check out Airbnb.com. Pulling up Barcelona, I found dozens of apartments and rooms that people rent out there…all vetted with comments and lots of photos. It’s sure a lot cheaper than a hotel. And you can get an apartment and cook meals while you visit. Another tip–Don’t buy your airline ticket through Expedia or Travelocity. I have found again and again that going direct to the airline is a much better idea. These middle men create a lot of barriers and make changing the ticket a big pain. Delta, American, Iberia, they all fly direct and it’s a better deal to just call them than try to do it all on line alone.
As the Greeks protest austerity and elect representatives who will push back against Germany and put their heads in the sand, once again, things look pretty grim for the European economy.
Yet Americans still want to take vacations in Europe, how could they not? It’s still full of reasons to visit, whether to see the ancient buildings and monuments or to just live that relaxed European lifestyle, even for a week.
Hertz and MotoGP rights holder, Dorna Sports, have announced a two-year extension to their global agreement, with Hertz moving from provider to rental services supplier in the MotoGP World Championship. Partners since 2010, Hertz will continue to offer Dorna Sports a range of car and equipment rental services throughout the 2012 and 2013 season in one of the world’s premier motorcycling championships. Dorna Sports will benefit from the rental of Hertz vehicles, power generators and climate control equipment used in the MotoGP Paddock. MotoGP provides Hertz with platform to showcase its range and reliability of services, including television coverage of Hertz branding on the track. As part of the close collaboration between the companies, Hertz also served as title sponsor of the 2012 British MotoGP, which was held at Silverstone in June. “We are delighted about the renewal of the contract between Hertz and Dorna Sports,” Michel Taride, president of Hertz International. “Hertz will continue to accompany the eighteen-race series throughout four continents to provide vehicle and equipment rental services to Dorna Sports and benefit from global exposure of the Hertz brand. “As the world’s premier motorcycling championship, MotoGP is an ideal platform to showcase our mobility solutions.”
Journeying to a new county on an adventure travel excursion can be intimidating when one is not used to the language. Although many travelers choose to grab a phrase book or computer program to learn a few key words before embarking on their trip, sometimes tourists may want to think outside the box when it comes to communication.
Those who are taking business trips or hope to mingle with new people while abroad may find a new smartphone app useful that helps users think outside the box. Compliments, an app released by the company One Hour, is a translation program offers not only useful phrases such as "I’m lost," or "I would like some water," but also highlights certain affirmations that could be helpful in social situations.
Travelers can impress new foreign friends or business prospects by saying "your presentation was great," or "good job," in the country's native language. These translations can be spoken aloud or copied into text messages and emails. So far, the app offers compliments in 11 different languages that have been approved as culturally sound by a team of experts.
Interested users who want to learn some unique phrases before their trip can download the app free of charge for Android platforms.
New Translation App for Travelers Focuses on ComplimentsTravel Guard
