Orbitz Worldwide chief executive officer Barney Harford said that today’s announcement by President Obama of a comprehensive plan to increase in-bound international travel is critical to keeping tourists and their billions of dollars in spending power flowing into the U.S.

“Orbitz Worldwide operations in the U.S., along with ebookers.com in Europe and HotelClub.com and RatestoGo.com in Asia-Pacific generate $11 billion in travel sales annually, and while there is strong interest in U.S. destinations from Americans and international travelers alike, they have many options,” said Harford.  “Travel-friendly visa, airport processing and tax and fee policies all contribute to consumer decision-making.  We can work with our broad roster of airline, hotel and attraction suppliers to offer all kinds of bargains, deals and incentives, but if the international traveler can’t get to the U.S., or even perceives that it is too much of a hassle to get here, then consumers can pretty quickly and easily choose an alternative destination.”