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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Monday, August 18, 2003

ISLAND VOICES
U.S. visa rule must change

By Larry Geller
Mental health advocate who lives in Manoa

If Gov. Linda Lingle's controversial marketing trip to Japan were such a success, why, one might ask, was it followed so quickly by announcements of flight cuts by Japan Airlines and Northwest Airlines? Clearly, savvy business leaders responded to signals indicating there will be less demand for seats starting in October.

What led them to this conclusion?

The answer may be simple: The obstacles that the U.S. government is placing in the path of the international traveler are impacting tourism. This will hurt the economy of Hawai'i and other states dependent on tourism.

It's no coincidence that new changes in the visa waiver policy (VWP) kick in Oct. 1, the day the airlines begin cutting back on seats. While Japan is a VWP country (along with Singapore), other Asian countries, whose nationals often arrive in Hawai'i on flights from Japan, will need to arrange face-to-face interviews in order to get tourist visas.

Others who are excluded from the VWP include students from any country, and for some reason journalists, including those travel writers who promote the wonders of America to potential travelers back home.

It doesn't matter how far from an embassy or consulate family members may live; they'll have to get an appointment for the interview, make the trek and go through that hassle if they want to visit Hawai'i. The inconvenience is magnitudes greater than waiting an hour longer at an airport for an intrusive personal search. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has not accepted visa applications by mail since July 7 or by travel agents since July 14.

Even Japanese will have to get new passports. Starting Oct. 1, a machine-readable passport that has biographical data entered on the data page and standardized requirements for the picture and other elements, will be required of each visitor, including infants.

While it's nice that the governor took hula to Japan, our businesses profit only if tourists are willing to come here to see more of it.

If the governor hopes to boost Hawai'i tourism and stimulate the economy, she might well target her next few trips toward Washington to convince our government of the risk that more airlines will declare bankruptcy, more jobs will be lost, unless a foreign policy wildly out of control is reined in.