The U.S. Is Failing to Issue Enough Tourist Visas

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 7. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

The U.S. tourism industry is still struggling to fully recover to pre-Covid levels, and a new report shines light into a major reason why — the U.S. State Department’s protracted delays in issuing visas, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.

Economists from the U.S. Travel Association, the industry’s leading lobby group, reported on Thursday that delays in issuing visas could prevent more than 6 million people from traveling to the U.S. next year. That figure amounts to a $11.6 billion loss in spending.

The economists added that the lengthy visa wait lines are hampering the U.S. in the race to attract tourists. A survey by business intelligence company Morning Consult revealed at least 60 percent of travelers from each Brazil, India and Mexico would likely visit another country if visa wait times surpassed a year. The U.S. Travel Association projects the absence of tourists from those three countries would represent a $5 billion loss in spending in 2023.

Next, Sri Lanka’s flag carrier, SriLankan Airlines, has a new competitor. FitsAir, the country’s first low-cost international airline, operated its first flights this week, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.

FitsAir, which originated as a cargo airline named ExpoAir, will fly from Colombo to both Dubai and the Maldives three times a week. The carrier also aims to take advantage of the pent-up demand for Sri Lanka travel among Indian consumers, with flights scheduled to Southern Indian cities from October 28. Roughly 16 percent of Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals between January and August 2022 came from India.

Peter Murray Hill, FitsAir’s vice president of passenger operations, said the carrier is offering a no-frills product at competitive prices. But Bhutia notes FitsAir is entering the Sri Lankan aviation market while the country is facing a severe financial crisis. Sri Lanka’s economy shrank roughly 8 percent in the April-June quarter compared to last year amid a shortage of foreign exchange and fuel.

Finally, hotels are taking more steps to cater to guests eager to bring pets they adopted during the pandemic, including arranging massages for dogs. Contributor Sonia Menken profiles Tammy Beachy, a San Diego-based dog massage therapist in this month’s At Your Service feature on the coolest jobs in travel.

Despite being a longtime dog lover, Beachy had never worked with animals until the Kona Kai Resort & Spa offered her a post in their dog massage department. Beachy, a veteran massage therapist, admitted she was surprised about how extensive the training program was. But she noted massaging dogs and humans are very different, emphasizing the need to be gentle when working with dogs.

The Kona Kai’s Spas and Paws menu offers three services, and in one of them — titled Training the Master — Beachy teaches dog owners massaging methods they can perform on their pets.