June 1 has come and gone and most news agencies see light border traffic as non-news.
To the Tourism Industry, Light Border Traffic is NEWS!
The light border traffic is due to the change in rules with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Beginning June 1, Americans traveling by road or ship to Mexico and Canada have to show a passport or similar document to get back into the U.S.
Until now, U.S. citizens could re-enter the country with various types of identification. Now a passport, passport card or special secure driver’s license are among a handful of accepted IDs.
In a 2005 survey of just 34% of Canadian / U.S. border crossers owned passports.
With 90-95% compliance with new documents and the border, it is clear that a number of Americans without passports are not crossing that border. The impact is noticeable in lower traffic volumes and lower wait times at the International Crossings.
At San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing, motorists accustomed to waiting two hours reached inspection booths in as little as 10 minutes during the Monday morning rush hour – the first day of the new rules.
Have you noticed any changes in travel bookings as a result of the WHTI?
Links:
- Assist Commish Office of Field Operations for Border Patrol states 90% travelers will have legal docs by June 1 http://bit.ly/S8mOy
- Just 34% of U.S. Citizens who crossed the Can/U.S. border by land in 2005 own passports. http://bit.ly/dXutq
- Border traffic light on June 1 at busy US/Mexican crossing. http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10459359
