New entry policies could disrupt travel. (Headlines).

The State Department's insistence on requiring visitors to show machine-readable passports when entering the United States, coupled with another policy that all visa applicants be interviewed in person, could result in serious disruptions in travel, says the Travel Business Roundtable, Washington, D.C. Roundtable Chairman Jonathan M. Tisch, president and CEO, Loews Hotel, New York City, recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell warning that many visa-waiver-program nations have only recently begun issuing machine-readable passports or are in the process of doing so. Even countries that do issue machine-readable passports do not do so uniformly, he said. Additionally, Tisch pointed out that the State Department has made no effort to inform citizens of visa-waiver-program countries that this change is coming. "We remain extremely concerned that the department is neither considering the possible consequences of these visa policies to our nation's economy nor realistically assessing the capabiliti es of those responsible for effectively implementing these policies within the deadlines that have been imposed," Tisch said.

In related news, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Washington, D.C., expressed its concern to the U.S. State Department about the potential requirement that all visa applicants appear for an in-person interview with U.S. consular officers. The association says such a measure would cause severe backlogs in U.S. consular offices, potentially hampering business and tourist travel into the country. While supportive of anti-terrorism measures, the association believes that a balance needs to be struck between the country's national security interests and its economic security.