Laserfiche WebLink
<br />~- <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />COUNTY OF HAWAII <br /> <br />STATE OF HAWAII <br /> <br />RESOLUTION NO. 7 ~ 97 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE KOREAN VISA WAIVER PROGRAM <br /> <br />WHEREAS, growth in Korean travel to the United States has not kept pace with growth <br />in travel to non-United States destinations, and cumbersome and time-consuming visa processing <br />procedures are widely recognized as the cause of this loss of market share and competitiveness <br />with alternative destinations; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, most of the nations of the South Pacific, Europe, and Canada do not <br />currently require Koreans entering their countries to have a visa, thus providing them with a <br />major competitive advantage in the tourism industry; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the travel and tourism industry directly generates approximately one-quarter <br />of the State's gross product and one-third of the State's jobs; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, since Hawaii's travel and tourism industry is and will continue to be the <br />State's largest and most important industry for the foreseeable future, efforts to support and <br />promote the industry should be intensified; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, to increase visitor travel between the United States and participating foreign <br />countries, the U.S. Congress established a temporary visa waiver program as part of the <br />Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the temporary visa waiver program has played a major role in boosting <br />international visitor arrivals in Hawaii and elsewhere in the country; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the United States territory of Guam has utilized the temporary visa waiver <br />program to eliminate visa requirements for Koreans visiting Guam with impressive increases in <br />travel and tourism from citizens of the Republic of Korea; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the United States Congress, through H.R. No. 627 and S. No. 290, is <br />considering the establishment of a three-year visa waiver pilot progr~ that would allow <br />nationals of Korea traveling in tour groups admission to the United States without a visa; and <br /> <br />WHEREA~, establishment of this visa waiver program would help to expand Hawaii's <br />visitor industry and would especially assist the County of Hawaii's efforts to bring direct flights <br />from the Republic of Korea to Keahole-Kona; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Hawaii Visitors Bureau predicts that a visa waiver program for Koreans <br />traveling to Hawaii would result in 8% to 29% incremental growth in arrivals and expenditures <br />which equates to between $35 and $38 million in additional visitor spending; and <br />