NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- On Jan. 23, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will take effect, requiring Americans to travel with a passport to many international destinations where one was previously not required and many U.S. travelers who don't have the official document are preparing to get one. According to a new Kayak.com survey of more than 1,000 respondents, 32 percent plan to apply for a passport now that it will be mandatory for U.S. citizens returning by air from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Though fewer than one-in-20 have started the application process, nearly one-in-five of those polled say their travel plans this year will change because of the new legislation.
"We know from the Travel Industry Association that only 27 percent of Americans have passports," said Steve Hafner, Kayak.com co-founder and CEO. "In our poll, only a small percentage of those who plan to get one say they have sent in their applications. We think it could create a major backlog when the State Department starts processing all of those applications once they're in the system."
It has been well reported that most members of congress do not have a passport. If there is a backlog, will government leaders receive preferential treatment and jump to the front of the passport line? About half (51 percent) of Americans surveyed expect that any member of congress without a passport can get one in a day, while 48 percent believe it would take three or more months for an average citizen to get one.
"To help travelers who are planning winter getaways now, we've come up with a list of 13 great island destinations Americans can visit withouta passport," Hafner said. "For fun, we quizzed survey respondents on passport status of these islands and few in a few international destinations as well. There were a few surprises in the responses."
"Bottom line, though, if you don't have a passport in hand now, there are plenty of great places to visit where one is not required," he said. "It's a great winter to vacation in the U.S."
The survey list included six international islands and 10 domestic ones. Respondents know their stuff when it comes to foreign destinations like Crete and Bora Bora -- but fare less well in identifying U.S. isles. Here's a snapshot of the respondents who answered incorrectly about whether each of the following requires a passport for entry by an American citizen*:
Tasmania (Australia) 5%
Crete (Greece) 5%
Bora Bora (French Polynesia) 6%
Hokkaido (Japan) 6%
The Maldives (Republic of) 7%
Eleuthera (The Bahamas) 7%
Maui (Hawaii) 26%
Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory) 42%
South Padre Island (Texas) 50%
Catalina (California) 52%
Mackinac Island (Michigan) 60%
Guam (U.S. Territory) 62%
Marco Island (Florida) 72%
St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands) 76%
Dauphin Island (Alabama) 77%
Islamorada (Florida Keys) 83%
* State or country where each island is located was not disclosed in the
survey.
Information on visiting the 13 island destinations without a passport can be found on Kayak.com http://corp.kayak.com/passport.html. The survey of 1,000 respondents was conducted online Jan. 5-10, 2007, using Survey Monkey technology.
For more information about the new passport laws and Kayak.com's list of non-passport island destinations, visit http://corp.kayak.com/passport.html.
About Kayak.com
Kayak.com, the world's largest travel site, scours more than 120 travel sites providing prices and itineraries for hundreds of airlines, more than 145,000 hotels, all leading rental car companies and seventeen cruise lines. Kayak.com has been named "Best of the Web" by BusinessWeek, "Best of the Web" by Forbes.com, "50 Coolest Websites" by TIME Magazine, "Best Travel Search Engine" by the Associated Press, "Best Search Aid" by Travel + Leisure Magazine and "Best of the Web" by US News & World Report. Launched in 2005 by co-founders of Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, Kayak.com's investors include General Catalyst Partners, Sequoia Capital, America Online, Inc and London- based Accel Partners. Kayak.co.uk launched December 2006 with the industry's most powerful flight search, Kayak Forums and Kayak Buzz. For more information, visit http://www.kayak.com/.
About Aaron Reed Aaron Reed is an assistant professor specializing in software architecture and design and .NET development at Neumont University in Salt Lake City, UT. He has worked professionally in the industry for over 12 years as a lead architect/designer, development manager, and VP of development. When he isn't spending time reading up on the latest in software development, Aaron loves spending time with his beautiful wife and three children.
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