By the Numbers: What Speedier Visas Mean for Retail

Minnesota’s Mall of America has begun adding staff and information in Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.
Last week came the news that, surprise, brands wholeheartedly support President Obama’s push for less stringent tourist visas, issued faster, for visitors from Brazil, India, and China.  As the middle classes of those countries grow, and American retailers miss out on tourism revenue to easier-accessed destinations like Paris, it’s become clear that bringing in foreign shoppers would be invaluable to the U.S.