Disney’s Lobbyists Win Visa Victory
(News | Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Walt Disney Company has spent millions lobbying the U.S. Congress to ease travel restrictions on international travelers which could be a boon for the Disney Parks. The new law, signed by President Bush, could allow more countries to send tourists to the United States without a visa. Currently, only 27 nations have the security requirements to be allowed in the program.
The Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau has targeted Brazil and Argentina as two countries where it wants to expand tourism. They released figures that show about 300,000 South Americans visited Orlando annually from 2003 to 2005 while 1.4 million visitors came to Orlando from Western Europe in 2006; Western Europeans do not need visas to visit. Disney has spent over $2 million on lobbying in 2007.
