Easing the U.S. Visa Hassle for Tourists Who Shop

For the past decade, Michael Gould says he’s watched with envy as a “stupefying” number of Chinese tourists lined up outside the doors of high-end boutiques in Paris, Rome, and other European cities. “We find it frustrating to see business going elsewhere,” says the chief executive officer of Bloomingdale’s. Luring more foreign shoppers to New York is more complicated than just spiffing up store windows, though. Post-Sept. 11 security policies mean some wealthy foreign shoppers have to wait months for travel visas to the U.S.

So last May, Gould and his counterparts at Macy’s and Saks began lobbying the federal government to make it easier for tourists to enter the U.S. from China and Brazil; retailers say shoppers from both countries have become big spenders when they visit, and demand for visas among Chinese and Brazilians has increased. The average Chinese tourist spends $6,000 while in the U.S., according to the Commerce Dept. In January, President Barack Obama gave the State Dept. 60 days to come up with a way to decrease the time that Chinese and Brazilian tourists have to wait for a visa from four months to three weeks. “We have the kind of brands that are highly respected by these visitors,” says Gould, “and the faster they can get here the better.”