Tightening of Visa Rules to Disrupt Travel for Some

[kskiska]

(snip)

Travelers from all but 27 nations, most of them in Europe, will be subject to the new rules, which will require United States visas even for the briefest of layovers. The Department of Homeland Security announced this weekend that it was suspending two programs that waived visa requirements for foreign travelers making connections at American airports — one known as Transit Without Visa, the other as International to International — because of intelligence reports suggesting terrorists might take advantage of the programs.

The new restrictions will affect virtually all travelers from Latin and South America and so will have a huge impact on Miami International Airport, a hub for travel between those parts of the world, Europe and Asia.

Cynthia Paul, a spokeswoman for Miami International Airport, said the number of foreign travelers affected by the restrictions would be "substantially higher" here than at most airports, though she added that it was too early to predict the impact.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2003/08/04/national/04VISA.html

[whirlygigspin]

1. way to kill tourism!

but who needs tourist dollars when our economy is booming so...