Advocates Bring Security, Privacy Concerns To Capitol
By Jay Boehmer
Monday, March 15 2004
Monday, March 15 2004
Published on AllBusiness.com
Travel industry advocates and business travel associations are raising their voices on Capitol Hill, attempting to influence public policy on such issues as national security, visa programs, traveler privacy and travel fees.
The Travel Business Roundtable, the eight-year-old, pan-industry organization of more than 70 CEOs, last week submitted a white paper to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to promote establishing a balance between "protecting our nation's security" and "economic vitality," particularly that of the travel and tourism industry.
"The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, Congress and the Bush Administration must consider the collective impact of all the various policies that are being incrementally implemented," said Jonathan Tisch, TBR chairman and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels.
The organization said the "seemingly haphazard implementation" of such initiatives as the Visa Waiver Program—with its Oct. 26 deadline—and the U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Identification Technology, officially launched in January, could dissuade foreign travelers, and their cash, from coming to the United States.
TBR said it supports the implementation of such programs, yet is "concerned that enforcing such requirements without allowing sufficient time to meet them could cause harm not only to our industry, but also to our nation's image around the world."
TBR added that the US-VISIT system should undergo an evaluation "to determine where problems might exist."
The group also is encouraging the Transportation Security Administration to reevaluate CAPPS II to "ensure that the system will effectively secure the airways, while not overstepping the bounds of personal privacy."
As CAPPS II continues to draw the ire of many travel managers (BTN, Feb. 9), it is the hot-button issue gaining attention from travel organizations. Like the Travel Business Roundtable, other such groups as the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, the National Business Travel Association and the Business Travel Coalition are speaking out on the issue, underscoring the balance between security and privacy.
Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, representing an undisclosed number of corporate travel buyers, this week will testify about CAPPS II before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee subcommittee on aviation.
NBTA said it is backing House Bill 338, the Defense of Privacy Act, which will require federal agencies to analyze privacy concerns prior to implementing
The Travel Business Roundtable, the eight-year-old, pan-industry organization of more than 70 CEOs, last week submitted a white paper to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to promote establishing a balance between "protecting our nation's security" and "economic vitality," particularly that of the travel and tourism industry.
"The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, Congress and the Bush Administration must consider the collective impact of all the various policies that are being incrementally implemented," said Jonathan Tisch, TBR chairman and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels.
The organization said the "seemingly haphazard implementation" of such initiatives as the Visa Waiver Program—with its Oct. 26 deadline—and the U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Identification Technology, officially launched in January, could dissuade foreign travelers, and their cash, from coming to the United States.
TBR said it supports the implementation of such programs, yet is "concerned that enforcing such requirements without allowing sufficient time to meet them could cause harm not only to our industry, but also to our nation's image around the world."
TBR added that the US-VISIT system should undergo an evaluation "to determine where problems might exist."
The group also is encouraging the Transportation Security Administration to reevaluate CAPPS II to "ensure that the system will effectively secure the airways, while not overstepping the bounds of personal privacy."
As CAPPS II continues to draw the ire of many travel managers (BTN, Feb. 9), it is the hot-button issue gaining attention from travel organizations. Like the Travel Business Roundtable, other such groups as the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, the National Business Travel Association and the Business Travel Coalition are speaking out on the issue, underscoring the balance between security and privacy.
Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, representing an undisclosed number of corporate travel buyers, this week will testify about CAPPS II before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee subcommittee on aviation.
NBTA said it is backing House Bill 338, the Defense of Privacy Act, which will require federal agencies to analyze privacy concerns prior to implementing
