ONE in five Americans interviewed for a travel industry survey publicised by USA Today newspaper, the largest circulation daily in the United States, said new passport regulations which come into effect today would cause them to alter their travel plans.

The newspaper quoted Kayak.com, an Internet booking site as saying that in a sample of 1,100 users, 32 per cent said they had planned to get a pasport, “but only half of them had initiated the process”.

“And one in five respondents said the new regulations would cause them to alter their travel plans,” the paper said.

It cited another poll by Travelocity which said one in four people surveyed were unaware of the new passport requirements.

The new government regulations require all incoming air travellers, including US citizens, to have a passport. Previously, a birth certificate or driver’s licence was sufficient for US citizens.

As of January next year, cross-border land and sea travellers also will have to show a passport, or alternatively, a passport card, a new form of identification that will be less expensive (US$45 for adults; US$35 for children).

That is valid only for land and sea passengers who are travelling from Mexico, the Caribbean or Canada.

The George W Bush administration said the move was necessary to help fight terrorism.

USA Today said the new regulations had prompted record numbers of Americans to apply for passports in the run-up to the deadline. The State Department processed 12.1 million passports in 2006 and expects to receive up to 18 million applications this year.

At present, only 27% of Americans have a passport.

The newspaper reported Russell Black, an avid kayaker, as saying he intended to go kayaking this summer in the Boundary Waters that straddle Minnesota and Canada, but he scrapped the plans after learning he would need a passport.

“I don’t even know what the process is,” he is quoted as saying. “I don’t want to get out there and get caught without a passport. I’m unclear about the rules. I just know enough to make me nervous.”

The paper added that Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, US possessions, were exempt from the new rules and were anticipating a windfall in bookings from travellers who don’t want to deal with the time and expense of getting a passport.

“Not surprisingly, Caribbean islands aren’t happy about the change. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, head of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, issued a statement saying the rules are confusing and could hurt travel to the islands,” said USA Today.