Press Release

For Immediate Release
31 March 2006

ACTE to Participate in WHTI Advisory Committee

Alexandria, VA -- -- The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is asking its Canadian and U.S. members to comment on the potential impact of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative -- which will require residents of both countries to produce a passport or combination of specialized documents when crossing the border -- on business travel. The initiative is slated to go into effect in 2008. According to ACTE Executive Director Susan Gurley, the action is the result of an invitation for the association to participate in an advisory committee studying WHTI.

"The primary impact of WHTI seems to be in the leisure sector," said Gurley, "as most U.S. and Canadian business travelers serving the global market already have passports for international travel. Nevertheless, there are a number of U.S. and Canadian firms located close to the border that are able to take advantage of the long-standing, easy regulations that have traditionally permitted entry on a driver's license. We're attempting to measure the cost of WHTI to those companies."

ACTE's executive director acknowledged that maintaining national security through tighter border regulations may eventually prove to be the most cost effective means of safeguarding future business travel.

A statement by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce made during a Senate hearing last year said that Canadian visits generated $10.9 billion for the U.S. national economy in 2003 alone. On July 29, 2005, the Canadian Tourism Commission released a study on the potential impact of WHTI, using the assumption of a current passport as the designated accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and citizenship. For the period between 2005 and 2008, the study estimates that a WHTI passport requirement would result in a cumulative loss of some 3.5 million outbound trips by Canadians to the U.S.

"The economic impact resulting from these estimated 3.5 million trips into the U.S. is far greater than just the cost of travel," added Gurley. "The cumulative cost of lost business revenue generated from these trips could be significant."


The current action represents a heightened level of activity by ACTE and the federal government. Last year, the association played a key role in persuading the State Department to develop additional safeguards with the new Radio Frequency Identification passport and testified before congress for the expansion of communications options on aircraft, such as cell phones and access to e-mail. ACTE's Airborne Contagion Advisory Group was the first formal travel industry response to the threat of pandemic, and has been working closely with the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. (Dr, Julie Gerberding, head of the CDC, is the association's key note speaker for ACTE's Global Education Conference in Atlanta, May 7-9, 2006.)

WHTI will be part of a broader discussion focusing on regulatory issues and advanced travel management practices in a special Canadian session to be held at the Atlanta conference on May 7, 2006.

For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com