The U.S. is gearing up for a massive influx of international travelers in what’s been labeled a “mega-decade” of events, with events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles, 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup, and 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Salt Lake City on the horizon. The U.S. Travel Association’s Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel warns that America must invest in its travel infrastructure to be prepared for both the volume and security needed.
For the last two decades, technology and staffing have not kept pace with the dramatic increases in travel volumes. The report argues that, stretched to capacity, U.S. travel systems have not received the resources necessary to support modernization efforts or take advantage of the innovation that is available to plug security vulnerabilities and ensure the nation remains at the forefront of innovation and efficiency.
The Economics of Tourists
With approximately 6 million visitors coming to the World Cup, only nine airports currently offer biometric bag drop. Combined with hours-long lines to enter the United States, the U.S. faces significant hurdles in handling a tourist surge of this magnitude. The report revealed that losing just one international flight due to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing issues costs the U.S. economy up to $227 million annually.
Improvements to the infrastructure will support the safety and security of the traveling public. “We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create the next-generation traveler experience. If we succeed, we expect 40 million international visitors and $100 billion in U.S. economic growth from the coming decade of sport,” said Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel member Patricia Cogswell in comments to Homeland Security Today. Cogswell is a Partner at Guidehouse, Defense & Security Segment; former Deputy Administrator of TSA; and HSToday Editorial Board member.
To get there, the report suggests several solutions that Americans seem ready to embrace. For example, 78% of travelers favor walk-through biometric screening. The modernizations proposed in the report could boost traveler spending by $7.4 billion through more efficient security screening alone. Research has shown that passengers spend more when experiencing a seamless journey through the airport, and the lack of time passengers have between screening and boarding undermines the airports’ ability to unlock additional revenue.
Security and Efficiency Key Initiatives
The Commission laid out four key initiatives calling for immediate action, as well as their proposed solutions and recommendations for each, some of which are included below:
- Creating an interagency Task Force focused on near-term challenges and long-term strategy that will transform U.S. travel;
- Implementing the world’s most advanced and secure airport screening via improved identity verification and securing next-generation advanced imaging technology;
- Modernizing customs procedures via expansion of biometric entry and exit systems (“Enhanced Passenger Processing” and “Traveler Verification Service“) and boosting CBP officer levels; and
- Strengthening and streamlining visitor visa process via a new Secure Travel Partnership program, a new National Vetting Service, and expansion of remote biometric capture through the State Department.
Critical Security Upgrades
The transportation sector, especially aviation, remains a top target for foreign terrorist organizations and other bad actors. As noted in the report, from March 2023 to April 2024, TSA reported more than 300 individuals tried to evade some aspect of airport security. Without these changes, experts warn the U.S. risks caving under the strain of rising traveler volume, resource constraints, and dynamic threats to national security.
Many of the report’s recommendations increase traveler satisfaction AND enhance security. For example, the report calls for the immediate end to the diversion of the Passenger Security Fee to the Treasury’s general fund and it be returned to TSA to be reinvested in aviation security, which was its intended purpose after 9/11. This alone would generate $10 billion to modernize TSA and invest in state-of-the-art identity verification, on-person screening and baggage scanning technology in every U.S. airport lane within five years.
The report also proposes that Congress increase funding for Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) by $300 million over the next five years to enhance identity security across the entire aviation system. Additionally, providing the resources necessary to complete CBP’s biometric exit tracking by 2026 would strengthen the identification of both arriving and departing travelers. This would create a more efficient and secure entry-exit system at U.S. airports and protect against visa overstays.
“Travel is not only a powerful economic driver, but also a unifying force that can bring people together. People are traveling in unprecedented numbers – every year, the U.S. is hitting a new record,” said Holly Canevari, former Deputy Administrator of TSA and Homeland Security Today Editorial Board member. “Continued investments in staffing to meet the increase in volume, identify verification technology, trusted traveler programs, and computed tomography screening equipment, as well as advances in on-person screening and working with international partners, will ensure more seamless travel and better customer service, as well as efficiencies AND better security in a world of evolving threats.”
Click here to read the full recommendations of the U.S. Travel Association’s Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel Report: showcaseamericantravel.org.