LAS VEGAS -- Getting to Las Vegas is becoming harder for some international travelers. After 9/11, the U.S. government cracked down on visa requirements. But 10 years later, it is still hurting American businesses and trade shows.
Eighteen percent of tourists that come to Las Vegas are from international locations, and on average, they spend at least twice as much as American travelers. Las Vegas has become the trade show capital of the United States, but attendance is suffering at some because their attendees can't get here.
Each January, 100,000 attendees from all over the world come to town for the Consumer Electronics Show. What you don't see are the 40,000 people who couldn't get here because their visas were denied.
"Those that we don't let in here means some U.S. company is not being able to access the globe," said Margaret Cassilly, vice president of Nap International.
Most international travelers have no issues, but not so for those coming from Brazil, Russia, China and India -- the fastest-growing world economies.
"I've seen the lines of people blocks and blocks long -- no water, no chairs -- standing out there in the hot sun trying to get visas," said Cassilly.
In most cases, it's infrastructure. There aren't enough U.S. embassies or consulates to handle the number of people wanting to get visas to come here. The embassy in Beijing has 24 windows servicing hundreds of thousands of people.
"They have to have proof that they own a home, they have a bank account, they have a driver's license, they have to tell what their business is and how it's flourishing. You and I couldn't gather that stuff in a week," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association.
The waiting period is three months in some cases. Trade shows like CES, CONEXPO, and SEMA have had to refund attendees and exhibitors money because their visas were denied. That's why the U.S. Travel Association is recommending a standard 10 day waiting period.
"We're the number one aspirational destination, we should be under ten days, that's where Europe is, ten days."
they say that wouldn't affect homeland security and would create 1.3 million new jobs and $860 million by 2020," said Dow.
"Every state in the United States, tourism is either number one, two or three in jobs or economic impact," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president of the LVCVA.
Besides lost revenue and tourism numbers, visa issues have impacted the U.S. on a larger scale. Chicago lost out to Rio De Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Olympics because the Olympic Committee said it's too hard for sports fans to get there.
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