U.S. Border ID Plan Worries Tourism Industry

[NVMojo]

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - The U.S. plan to require people traveling between the United States and Canada to have passports or similar identification is already hurting cross-border tourism, and it's not even in effect yet, tourism officials say.

Convention planners are hesitant to book events across the border a year or two in advance without knowing how the plan will be implemented or what new identification cards will cost, Randy Williams of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada told a panel of U.S. and Canadian government officials on Monday.

Many Americans are staying away from Canada already, believing the requirement is in effect now, he said.

"There is uncertainty in the marketplace and uncertainty is killing us right now," Williams said at a conference of the Binational Tourism Alliance, a trade organization that promotes cross-border tourism.

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/invest-corp/2006/mar/06/030604220.html