Tuesday, June 4, 2024 The US is all set to enhance inbound travel with its new visa-free initiative. The policy change enables visitors from select countries to enter the US for business or tourism purposes without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Dubbed the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), the policy changes aim to streamline the entry process and cut down on wait times.
The US government seeks to promote travel to some of its most popular destinations, including Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, and more, along with increasing footfall in smaller towns and the countryside. Expanding visa-free access to the US: Eligible countries and other key details The countries eligible for entry into the US under the VWP include Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, and New Zealand. As a result of the initiative, the ‘Rest of the World’ category (which includes countries that are not part of the initiative), earlier amounting to 37%, is anticipated to decrease to 35%.
Plans are underway to add more countries to the VWP list. Visa-free travel from countries such as Canada and Mexico accounts for over 50% of international tourist arrivals in the .
