Just when it seems our industry is getting a handle on the shifting rules for international travel, a fresh challenge arises. As many of you know, travelers from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Panama wanting to enter or re-enter the United States via air or water will need a passport, most likely at the end of this year. This stronger requirement - which affects Americans traveling to these areas, as well as citizens of other countries traveling to the United States - is the first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

Recently, the Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, which included a provision to extend the WHTI deadline to June 1, 2009. Even if the bill becomes law, it will not necessarily affect the Dec. 31, 2006 deadline, according to Rick Webster, the Travel Industry Association of America's vice president of government affairs - although he notes that the deadline "is silent on modes of travel and ports of entry."

Although these changes have been proposed for a while now and the deadlines are still open for public comment and technically not definite, the onus is on meeting professionals to educate potential attendees who may be affected by the new rules. Recent reports showed that the majority of Americans are unfamiliar with the new ID requirements, and only 25 percent of U.S. citizens currently have a valid passport. Many are confused: There have already been a number of changes affecting travel between other countries and the United States, deadlines are in flux, and there is conflicting information about what is required and when.

Yet, just as we as an industry have dealt with other recent changes, we need to push ahead and try to avert any negative effects on meeting attendance. That means taking extra measures to inform potential attendees of the new rules and what they need to do to get proper documentation, way in advance of a meeting and with frequent reminders. Here at PCMA, we are taking the lead in educating our members about the need to have passports in hand for PCMA's 51st Annual Meeting in Toronto which takes place in January, just days after the new rules are scheduled to take effect.

In addition, PCMA and other travel organizations are advocating to the U.S. government. While we recognize very real concerns about national security, we want to get the message across that international travel should not become so cumbersome that leisure and business travelers are turned off. Recent user-friendly initiatives such as paperless visa processing and the move toward a new identification card for cross-border land travel that will be more efficient than a traditional passport demonstrate that government leaders are starting to listen to our concerns.

You'll find the latest nuances on the WHTI rules in this issue of Convene for you to disseminate among your own members, and for your own information. After all, we are looking forward to seeing many of you in Toronto in January - PCMA's first annual meeting held in an international destination -with your passports in hand.