Talking Points: Visa-Free Europe Travel for Americans (Updated, May 5, 2017)

Talking Points – Visa-Free Europe Travel for Americans

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The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients who have questions about travel to Europe. (Updated May 5, 2017)

1. The European Commission stated it has no plans to change Europe’s visa waiver program, meaning Americans can continue traveling to all countries within the European Union (EU) without a visa.

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further illustrate each talking point.

1. The European Commission stated it has no plans to change Europe’s visa waiver program, meaning Americans can continue traveling to all countries within the European Union (EU) without a visa.

 American travelers with a valid U.S. passport can visit all 28 countries in the EU without a visa. There has be no change in this policy.

 The European Commission stated on May 2, 2017, that “in view of the significant progress achieved during the last year and the positive momentum of ongoing work, the temporary suspension of visa waivers …would be counterproductive at this moment and would not serve the objective of achieving visa-free travel for all EU citizens.”

o Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Our goal is and remains to obtain full visa reciprocity with both Canada and the U.S. Our continued engagement and patient diplomatic contacts over the past year have brought tangible results already with Canada, and we are committed to proceeding in the same way with the U.S. Dialogue with our strategic partners is the right way forward and we are on the right track.”

o Avramopoulos also tweeted, “EU will always choose engagement, commitment and patient diplomacy over unilateral retaliation.”

 Travel + Leisure reported that “Reinstating visa requirements for Americans traveling to Europe would have been a costly gamble, as the European Union grapples with the impending Brexit, a weakening Euro, and increased terrorist attacks that have caused many Americans to re-think travel plans.”

 On March 2, 2017, the European Parliament “passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the reintroduction of visa requirements for American citizens, raising the stakes in a long-running battle over the United States’ refusal to grant visa-free access to citizens of five European Union countries,” reported The New York Times.

o It is important to note that the vote was on a non-binding resolution.

o The vote was because reciprocity of visa-free travel does not extend to individuals from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania wishing to visit the United States.

o Also according to The New York Times, “European officials in Brussels have balked at making travel to Europe more difficult for Americans, saying doing so would have an economic cost and would most likely not even resolve the hurdles facing citizens of the five affected countries.”

 The Wall Street Journal reported in March that “Imposing visas on U.S. travelers would have a negative impact on the European economy, as 27.4 million U.S. citizens visited the continent last year, an 8% increase compared with the year before.”

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

 Whether traveling domestically or internationally, our number one priority is always our clients’ safety and well-being.

 As professional travel agents, we are trained to monitor a variety of situations, from weather delays to political protests, that may impact our clients’ travel plans. As such, we are also in a position to work on alternative travel plans and have those in place the moment the need arises.

 We strongly encourage all of our clients, whether they are traveling domestically or internationally, to purchase travel insurance, particularly right at the same time as travel has been booked. Travel insurance offers an additional layer of protection for travelers and can potentially help save a traveler hundreds or thousands of dollars if a medical or travel emergency occurs.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

 We closely monitor the latest news and weather updates, as well as the U.S. State Department website, for travel alerts and travel warnings for all destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.

 Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel so they can determine for themselves if they still wish to continue with their original travel plans

 Also, should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination where a client is currently located, we try to immediately contact the client to check on their well-being and work to assist them if they require alternate travel arrangements.

 We believe in providing the facts as we know them to our clients so they may make informed decisions regarding every aspect of their travel plans.

 It’s in situations like these that the traveling public understands how it pays to have someone serving as their advocate.