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Massive Survey Indicates Lack of Understanding Concerning Canada/U.S. Cross-Border Travel Documents |
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Written by Wire Services
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Friday, 31 March 2006 |
There is considerable confusion in the United States and Canada about what is currently required to travel to the other country, a new survey indicates, with about three in ten people mistakenly believing that they must present a valid passport to customs officials.
The survey by TNS Canadian Facts, in consultation with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), found that while driver's licences and birth certificates are currently acceptable forms of ID, 32% of Americans and 29% of Canadians believe that a passport is required for travel across the border.
In the U.S., another 24% indicate that they are not sure what is required, meaning that fewer than half of Americans have a clear understanding that they do not currently need to show a passport to visit Canada. Fully 35% of Americans who have travelled to Canada for an overnight pleasure trip within the past two years believe that a passport is currently required.
"In combination with other factors, such as the rising Canadian dollar and increased cost of gasoline, there is little doubt that misconceptions about travel ID requirements are having a negative impact on travel from the U.S. to Canada," Jenkins added.
The U.S. government passed legislation in 2004 that will require all travellers from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Panama to carry a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter the U.S., including returning Americans. The new requirements are set to take effect December 31, 2006 for travel by air and sea, and one year later for travel by land.
Canada's tourism industry is focussing on how the new passport rules will be implemented, in order to mitigate the effects of the new requirements. "We want to ensure that the Canada-U.S. border remains secure without adding undue cost and inconvenience to legitimate travellers," said Williams. He believes that the recently announced PASS card is a step in the right direction, but warns that much more needs to be done.
The PASS (People Access Security Service) card was announced in January 2006 by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and is currently in the development phase. The card will have biometric features and will be available as an alternative to a traditional passport for use by U.S. citizens crossing land borders into Canada.
On a general level, Americans appear to show modest support for the idea of some form of a new secure ID document for travel. While details of the PASS card remain unclear, one-third say that a new form of travel ID would make trips between the U.S. and Canada easier, while only 19% disagree, and about half are neutral.
The survey identified the need for freely accessible public information campaigns explaining that the current travel document requirements are not as restrictive as people believe. American cross-border travellers in particular need to know that Canada does not currently require a passport.
The Travel ID Requirements study was conducted by TNS Canadian Facts, in consultation with TIAC. For the study, a survey was administered online between January 26th and January 30th in the U.S. and Canada and included hundreds of thousands of individuals who have agreed to participate in survey research from time to time. Over 1,000 interviews were completed in each country: 1,702 in the U.S and 1,127 in Canada. The survey results are representative of the online U.S. and Canadian adult populations and are considered accurate to within three percentage points (2.4 in the U.S.; 2.9 in Canada), 19 times out of 20.
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